Finding Home
by LionHeartSid
Summary: May and her wolf-like dog Kiba are all alone in the world until they meet Daryl Dixon, an antisocial, redneck hunter who takes them to his group because there's "strength in numbers", but both of them feel it could be more than just that. Daryl/OC
1. Ranger-girl

Hey guys! This is my first fan fiction ever so i'm pretty nervous about uploading it. Anyway, i hope you enjoy it because i had a lot of fun writing it. I'll be uploading the next chapter soon and i promise that i'll always try not make long breaks between chapters. English isn't my first language so i hope you'll forgive me any lacking in the lingual area of the story. my I hope you have fun reading it as much as i had fun writing it :)

I do not own any of the Walking Dead content, although May and Kiba are original characters.

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**Prelude**

"O shit, Jake, did the bastard bite you?" a 5'10", dark-haired girl slipped between a couple of abandoned cars on the highway and headed straight to her injured friend followed by a large, fluffy dog.

"I'm ok, I think. What about you?" he asked, pushing a, finally, dead walker of off himself. The arrow May shot hit the bastard right between the eyes.

"I'm fine" she offered him a grin, but her face soon turned pale. "Jake, whose blood is that?". There was a big, red stain forming on his shirt, just under his ribs. She lifted it lightly, just to find a gaping scratch gushing blood from it.

"Fuck. FUCK! FUCKINGHELL! The bastard scratched me!" Jake yelled in disbelief. Then he realized what his friend, his oldest, dearest friend had to do. He couldn't believe he was going to put her through this.

May just sat there and watched, her face expressionless. Jake had been scratched. Jake was going to die. Fuck. She was going to have to put an arrow to her best friends head. It hit her. Their eyes met and she knew what he wanted her to do. "Please Jake… No." she said, her eyes filling up with tears.

He looked at her face and thought how he was lucky to have known her. "Please, May. I don't want to wait for death. And I don't want you to stay here any longer than necessary. Just do it and run." He plead. She looked at him and he could see how broken this will leave her. But she had to go in to the woods and she had to go now. There were more walkers coming, he was sure. "Please."

She finally gave in and raised her bow. "I love you" she said. "I love you to" he replied. And then she shot an arrow through his head. She kissed him on the cheek, picked up her stuff, motioned to the dog to follow her and went in to the forest.

**Chapter 1: Ranger-girl**

_*1 MONTH LATER*_

She was crouching in a bush, lurking a stag she was about to kill. At least she hoped she was. She needed it. During the last month human civilization seemed to have ended. The Walkers, as they called them on the news before shit really hit the fan, killed her best friend and, for the first time in 7 years, she was glad her parents weren't alive to witness the carnage.

"Shhh, Kiba" she shushed the dog. May felt a grain of sweat slide down her neck, tickling her but she ignored it. She took an arrow from the quiver, her hunting bow in hand and aimed at the stag. _Aim for the heart _she thought. She let her breath out and released the arrow, hitting the target perfectly. She excitedly ran to the deer, knowing that she and Kiba won't go hungry for the next week or two, depending on how wisely she rationed it. Then she noticed three bolts sticking from the deer's side, colorful feathers on top. Before she could do or think anything else, she heard something moving in the bushes. She quickly raised her bow, ready to defend herself, but was surprised by what, or rather whom, she saw. Out of the green of the forest emerged a scruffy, dirty-looking man with a… necklace made of dead squirrels. What? He was pointing a crossbow at her, loaded with a bolt just like the ones in the deer. Kiba looked at the man, snarling and growling threateningly.

"I'm obviously not a walker, so you can put that thing away." She noted, not lowering her own weapon.

"Yeah, right, and then you shoot me." He snorted at her, with a strong southern drawl.

They glared at each other for a moment and then she broke the silence. "On three?" He nodded and started counting : "One… Two… Three." And they both lowered their weapons. She was extra cautious because, as skilled as she was, she could see he was too, and he was definitely stronger than her. On the other hand, she had Kiba. "Calm down, boy" she stroked the dogs fur, not moving her eyes from the stranger.

"Seems we've a problem" he said "Who gits the deer?"

"I see no problem. I shot the killing blow, it's obviously mine." He didn't expect that answer, it surprised him. He could obviously overpower her at any moment, yet she wasn't going to just give up her kill. As much as he didn't like to admit it, he admired her for that. "There aint no way you coulda' shot him that easily if I hadn't slowed him down." That was true and she knew it.

"You have a name?" she asked, trying to buy some time before she could decide how to resolve this. She sure as hell wasn't relying on this redneck to come up with a solution.

"Daryl Dixon. What 'bout you, ranger-girl?" Shit, how did he know she was a ranger? Guess he's not that dumb. She looked at him more carefully noticing he was tall, a bit taller than her, something she didn't see often. He was wearing a sleeveless olive shirt, good for camouflage, a smart choice. Well built, that was obvious, and he looked like he was waiting for something. _O, shit, he asked a question._ "It's May O'Connell. How did you know I was a ranger?"

"Badge on yer belt." she forgot all about that… "So, ranger-girl, what do you s'pose we do now?" he looked at her quizzically. He couldn't help but notice how tall and lean she was. He noticed her perfect hour-glass figure and long legs, he noticed that she hasn't gone hungry; she still had all her womanly curves. Before he could note anything else, she shot an arrow in his direction but it passed right next to his elbow. Then he heard something fall behind him and turned around in time to see a walker with an arrow sticking out of its head fall to the ground.

"You alone?" he played it cool, even though she might have saved his life. "No" she stated, "I have Kiba." The dog looked at her loyally when he heard his name mentioned. Then it growled and jumped in a bush, just to come out a moment later holding a dead rabbit in his jaws. "Good boy, Kiba" she scratched him behind the ears. The fluffy, gray, strangely wolf-like dog looked at her, proud of himself, and happy that he made his pack leader happy. "So it's just you and the dog?" he asked, quite surprised she's alive and so well fed considering she had to fend for herself. She could see the surprise in his blue eyes and she rather enjoyed it. "Yeah, have been ever since all this shit started. Actually, you're the first person I've talked to in weeks. I was starting to get a little crazy, to tell you the truth…" She offered him a smile and he noticed it was one of those rare smiles where she wasn't actually smiling as much as you could see it in her eyes. The type of smile models would spend years practicing in front of a mirror but it came to her naturally. And her big eyes were the oddest color he'd seen. It was a light brown, but so light it was almost yellow. It bothered him that he'd noticed that. But he let his guard down s bit.

"What about you? You alone too?" she asked. He relaxed a bit and so she did the same. Besides, she was too tired to look as tough as she tried to appear throughout this entire conversation. She felt he wasn't going to harm her, and so did Kiba, seeing as how he was chasing a butterfly around, not minding Daryl at all anymore.

"Nope. Me and ma brother Merle 'r in a group. We've a camp a couple of miles from here. Was thinking you might wanna join us. Strength in numbers 'n' all that shit. " An invitation? She wasn't expecting that. It would be nice to have some people around, but on the other hand, she was doing fine on her own. They might slow her and Kiba down. "I guess we could stay for a night or two. At least it would solve this here deer dilemma we have. It's almost dark soon, though, do we have time to reach it?" How bad could it be? They could rest up a bit, if they have a camp there, it must be near a river or a lake, so she could wash up both herself and her clothes. And she'd get to sleep through at least one night without worrying about being eaten.

"Nah, we aint gettin' there tonight. We'll wait 'till morning." He stated simply.

"Then we should find somewhere safer than this to camp out for the night." She smiled at him again, wider this time and he couldn't remember the last time he saw someone truly smile. She pulled out a rope and tied it to the deer's legs to make it easier to take with them. Daryl came over and pulled his bolts out, and then proceeded to help her with tying the deer. He noticed how skilled she was at it. A ranger would be a great asset to their group. "You're not half bad at this survival crap… For a girl" he teased her a bit.

"Yeah, well, you don't seem that dumb for a grumpy-ass redneck" she said, putting on a defensive face. He looked at her trying to figure out if she meant it and saw how she was struggling not to laugh. Her face twitched a bit from the effort she put in to staying serious. He had to laugh. And it's been so long since he laughed. They walked for a while in silence, dragging the deer until they found a safe enough place to sleep for the night.

"You don't really say much, do you?" May noted after spending almost half an hour walking in silence. She started to unpack her sleeping bag.

"I usually hunt alone. Nothin' much ta say when there's no one to say it to"

"You're not alone now."

"Yeah, well, that aint exactly how I planned this hunt." She stopped asking, seaming a bit disappointed and, maybe, sad and started a small fire. He felt kind of bad for shutting her down like that. The girl hadn't had anyone to talk to in weeks.

"What kinda' dog is that, anyway?" he offered, not knowing what else to say. Her face lit up when he started up the conversation again.

"He's not a purebred. Actually, he's not even completely a dog. He's one quarter wolf and three quarters dog. A bit of Alaskan Malamute and Husky, I think, and something else, not sure what though." She said with a gentle smile, obviously very proud of her hound.

"Part wolf, huh? How'd ya train 'im so well, then?" he was, once again, impressed with this girl. And he wasn't the kind to get easily impressed.

"I found him when he was less than a month old, he was a stray. I felt sorry for him being all alone in the world… I guess I knew how he felt… So I took him in, bottle fed him 'till he was old enough to eat by himself and started training him when he was only two months old. I guess I'm the first one to show him any kindness, and I needed someone to care for, so we bonded" she answered, still smiling, but with a strange sadness in her eyes. It gave him pause. He didn't know how to act around emotional people. They went quiet for a while and he stared at the fire.

"How's 'bout I gut the rabbit that dog 'o yours caught and we have some dinner?" he changed the subject but when he looked at her he noticed she'd already skinned the rabbit and was gutting him as he spoke.

"I'm one step ahead of you" she said and winked playfully at him. She took him by surprise, she has once again managed to impress him.

"Where'd ya learn how ta do that? I thought rangers protected the animals."

"Wasn't always a ranger and a girl's gotta eat." She replied practically. He looked at her, obviously confused by the remark.

"When I was 16 my parents died In a car crash and I made deal with my uncle, who never gave a shit about me – he legally adopts me and I never ask him for anything ever again. There was no way I was gonna go in the system. So, from there on out, I took care of myself. That's about the same time I found Kiba. Two years later I became a ranger, all of the skills I picked up on while fending for myself gave me a good foundation for the job. Alaska isn't a friendly place when you're on your own."

"What 'er you doin' in Georgia?" This girl's been through some shit in her life.

"I was supposed to take a couple of wolves from a zoo and escort them back to the Alaska to be released to the wilderness. Didn't quite work out though." She grinned halfheartedly.

After that, they ate in silence and went to sleep. May snuggled next to Kiba, finding his soft, grey fur comforting and fell asleep almost instantly. Daryl was the first one to keep watch. He looked at the girl unsure what to think about her. One thing was sure, though… He was glad she was joining them.

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So that was the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it and will rate and review because i will need your help writing this story. Any and all suggestions are more than welcome :)


	2. Mr Perm

_Ok, this is chapter two. I'm having some trouble with chapters three and four, but hopefully, I'll finish them soon and publish them up here for all you beautiful people to read :D I'm having a good day... xD Anyhow, i hope you enjoy and review it, i'm more than interested to hear some constructive criticism :)_

_I do not own any of the Walking Dead content, but May and Kiba are original characters._

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**Chapter 2: Mr. Perm**

May watched as the sun rose above the trees while Kiba rested his head in her lap. When she woke up she found three dead walkers piled up a little ways from camp. Daryl must have taken care of them without waking her up and she appreciated it more than he could understand. It's been a long time since she slept so soundly and felt so safe. She kicked herself for feeling this secure next to a man she knew for less than a day. Quietly, the girl started packing up her backpack and cleaning the campsite figuring she'd let Daryl sleep in a little.

"Watcha' doin' there ranger-girl? Thought you could sneak off on me?" the hunter asked with an amused expression on his face.

"No such luck, hillbilly, just thought I'd be nice and let you get a little more pillow time" she answered "Now that you're up, you can help me pack up camp." She winked at him again, tossing him a shovel to cover up the remains of their campfire. He shot a glance at her when she wasn't looking, a small grin forming on his lips. They packed up, took the, now cut up and cooked venison mounted it all on their backs and headed towards the camp.

As they came near the edge of the camp, they saw, through the bushes and branches, a group of men beating a walker angrily and, just as one of them chopped it's head of, they entered the camp.

"Overkill much." She noticed. At the sound of an unfamiliar voice they all raised their weapons ready to attack. The group sighed with relief when they saw Daryl.

"Ah… Jesus" said a man with curly, black hair. Two blond women were standing near the scene, watching in disgust. One by one, they noticed Daryl wasn't alone but before anyone could say anything Kiba growled at the corpse and both May and Daryl took note of that. A moment later, the head started rolling it's eyes and snapping it's jaw, trying to bite at their living flesh.

"Oh God…" said the younger blond, doing all she could not to vomit as the older one gently led her away from the scene. "C'mon people, what tha hell" said Daryl, levelheadedly sending a bolt to the walkers' eye. He then pulled it out, placing his foot on the head and shook of the excess blood from the bolt. "It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothin'?" he asked, obviously annoyed. He glanced at May and winked with a tiny smile, walking off to the camp.

"Hi, my name is Dale. Welcome to our camp" said an older man with a fishing hat pleasantly smiling at her. She shook his hand with a nervous smile "Nice to meat you, I'm May and this here is Kiba" she gestured to the dog. She could hear Daryl calling for his brother in the camp.

"Merle!" he shouted "Merle! Git your ass out here! Got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up." She also noticed that all the men now forgot she was there and looked at Daryl with worried expressions on their faces.

They all went after him led by the curly-haired man. "Daryl, slow down a bit, I need to talk to you."

"'Bout wha'?" the hunter asked. "About Merle." Mr. Perm, as May dubbed him in her head, answered. "There was a… There was a problem in Atlanta."

Daryl paused and looked at the people around him. May wasn't able to read the expression on his face. "'S he dead?" Daryl asked, bracing himself for the answer.

"We're not sure"

"He either is or he aint!" Daryl was now confused and getting angrier by the second.

"There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it" another man, blue-eyed and quite handsome approached Daryl cautiously.

"Who are you?" Daryl asked. He was obviously a newbie, just like May.

"Rick Grimes" the handsome man answered.

"Rick Grimes!" Daryl repeated, obviously very agitated at this point, "You got sumthin' you wanna tell me?"

"Your brother was a danger to us all so I handcuffed him to a roof and hooked him to a piece of metal." May couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Are they all insane?! "He's still there" Rick continued. She couldn't believe her ears.

Daryl paced back and forth for a moment, in disbelief. Tears welled up in his eyes and he wiped them with the back of his hand saying "Let me process this… You saying you handcuffed ma brother to a roof!? AND YOU LEFT HIM THERE?!"

Everybody in the camp was now standing in a large circle, watching them as if it were a show.

Rick paused for a moment before saying "Yeah…". Daryl was now pissed; May could see the hurt, pain and anger written all over his face. He then took the squirrel necklace of the floor and threw it at Rick. He lunged at him but was tackled by Mr. Perm. He released his knife from the belt and charged at Rick who moved away and grabbed his arm. Mr. Perm got involved, grabbed the hunters' other arm and knocked the knife out of it putting him in a choke-hold.

"Let me go!" Daryl yelled "Choke-hold's illegal!"

"File a complaint." Mr. Perm answered.

"Let him go you dick-head!" May yelled at him and went in for a punch. Kiba ran after her, ready to fight at her side. Before she could get there a young Korean guy stopped her and whispered in her ear "Just let it play out, Shane and Rick won't hurt him." Kiba growled at him, but didn't bite as he realized he was no danger to his pack leader. Still, he was alert. Still, May wanted to go and punch the hell out of Mr. Perm – Shane, actually. Who the fuck does that?

Rick crouched in front of the outraged Daryl "I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. You think we can manage that?" he asked calmly. Daryl panted for a while and finally nodded slightly. Rick then looked up at Shane who, then, released Daryl.

Korean guy let go of May and looked at her apologetically, like he was trying to tell her he didn't want her to get hurt. She knew she should appreciate it and decided to do so later, but right now she was just pissed he wouldn't let her go to Daryl's aid.

Daryl was still on the ground, trying to catch his breath, while Rick continued calmly "What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others."

"It's not Ricks' fault." A big, black guy stepped forward."I had the key… I dropped it." He was obviously regretting what had happened, they both did, but it didn't matter that much to May, what they'd done was horrible, and it sure as hell didn't matter to Daryl.

"You couldn't pick it up?!" he asked desperately. "I dropped it in a drain." The black guy responded. Daryl was still on all fours and now started sobbing a little, pressing his head to the flour, Georgian dust puffing up around him like a cloud. It lasted for a moment, after which he got up. "If it's s'posed to make me feel better, it don't!"

The black guy added: "Maybe this will. I chained the door to the roof so the geeks couldn't get at him. With a padlock. ". "It's gotta count for something." Rick added.

Daryl tried to hold back his tears. "Ta hell with all y'all! Just tell me where he is so I can go git him!"

A skinny brunette that was standing outside a parked trailer with a young boy that looked remarkably like Rick spoke up. "He'll show you. Isn't that right?" she said with a southern drawl, her tone wasn't reassuring, but rather cold and angry. It was right. They decided that the team that will go back to Atlanta to get Daryl's big brother was him, Rick, Glenn – the Korean guy, and T-Dog – the black guy. T-Dog and Rick felt guilty and Glenn used to be a pizza delivery guy in Atlanta and he knew his way around the city better than any of them.

While they were packing up May could hear Rick and Shane arguing. Shane thought they shouldn't go and leave the camp so unmanned just to get the "racist, shitfaced redneck" back. Rick felt obligated to help and he also seemed to have left a bag of guns at Atlanta that would greatly increase their protection. His wife, Lorry, the skinny brunette didn't want him to go either and his son Carl looked like he was about to cry.

May couldn't deal with all that shit now; she just wanted to make sure that Daryl was ok. She walked up to him while he was packing his stuff in the box-truck. She wasn't sure how to go about this, it's not like she actually knew the guy. She wasn't even sure why she was so worried. Before she could reach him, Shane – Mr. Perm, blocked her way and held his hand out "I'm…" she interrupted him "Shane, yeah, I know" she said coldly. She really didn't like the guy.

"I don't mean to be brass but someone should warn you about Dixon. A pretty girl like you shouldn't get involved in any way with an angry, violent redneck like him. He's bad news, spare yourself the trouble and just let him have his little tantrum." It felt like a red curtain fell in front of her eyes. All she knew was that she wanted to punch his face in. "Stand down Kiba. He's mine" she said in a low, cold voice while Shane looked at her not yet getting what was about to happen. She slowly started to turn away, just to turn back forcefully and jump on him, punching him in the jaw. He was on the floor and she was now straddling him, her next punch landing on his nose. She would have continued punching him, too, if a pair of strong arms hadn't lifted her up and pulled her away from the surprised man lying in dirt, his nose bloody from the punch he'd just received.

"Let. Me. Go!" she struggled while Kiba was following her, but didn't seem at all alert. The pair of arms let her go. She turned around and saw Daryl was the one who pulled her away. He couldn't hide the amusement in his face after seeing this skinny girl kick Shane's ass. Her face went from being pale with anger to hot-pink in a matter of seconds.

"What was that all about?" he asked, trying to mask his amusement, not even sure why he was so amused.

"He said something he shouldn't have said." She stated simply. She was very serious, still pretty pissed off. Daryl's face turned darker. "What did he say?". _If he was rude to her, I swear I'll be the one to punch his face in. _She wasn't sure she wanted to tell him. Still, he seemed like he wasn't going to let up. "He said something he shouldn't have about you."

Daryl was taken aback by this. Nobody ever stood up for him and he wasn't sure how to deal with it. Why did the girl even care enough to do that? Not knowing how to react, he went to what he knew best – anger.

"Look, I don' need no one fightin' my battles. You should just git and mind yer own business!"

May looked at him, stunned. She, then, went pale again, turned on her heel and stormed of, Kiba right by her side. Shit, he shouldn't have said that. He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He bolted after her and stopped her, grabbing her shoulders firmly but gently. She turned around and he was sure she was ready to jump at him like she did with Shane so he spoke before she had a chance to do anything.

"I'm sorry!"

"You bet your ass you're sorry! What do I even care, I'll be leaving in a day or two anyway. I was stupid to even get involved with a group." She was pissed and… Hurt?

"Look, I aint used to people being on my side. I can't deal with that right now. I was still wrong ta say wha' I said." That was the best he could do. Probably the best he'd ever done with an apology. And she sensed it. She could understand his reaction, he must be so scared for his brother.

"You really leavin'?" he asked her and she could swear, when he asked that, he looked like a little boy. "I'm not sure yet. Do you think I should stay?" she asked him, angry at herself that she wanted him to say yes. "Does it make a difference?" Why was she asking him that? And why did he want to ask her, no tell her to stay? "It would." They looked at each other for a second and then he answered: "I think ya should stay. I think we all, including you, have a better chance of survivin' if you stay." He muttered, and braced himself for a goodbye.

"I'll stay. At least until you come back from Atlanta. Gotta make sure you come back in one piece. And plus, I saw you have a bike, I haven't had a ride in ages. So you owe me one when you get back." She added with a little smile. He put on a wolfish grin "I knew you were bluffing." he teased.

"Daryl! Let's go!" I was Rick calling for him. He looked at her and wasn't sure if he was supposed to say something. She just smirked at him "Be careful, Dixon." She said, kissing him lightly on the cheek. He flinched a bit at her touch and his face turned redish, so he just turned around to walk away, but stopped to add "You too ranger-girl" and walked away. Shit. _He'd better come back._

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_So, that's it for this chapter. Enjoy and review :D__  
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	3. Nick of Time

_Hey readers :D So, i took me a while to upload this chapter, but it just wouldn't write! I struggled with it and, to tell you the truth, i'm not very happy with how it turned out, but hey, maybe i'm to judgmental when it comes to me. So, you tell me if you like it! Also, i'll try to post another one by the end of the day, hope that one will write better than this one did. So... Have fun and review :D_

_I do not own anything related to The Walking Dead but May and Kiba are original characters.  
_

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**Chapter 3: Nick of time**

When the four men left, everybody seemed to be left with a feeling of dread hanging over them. Still, they went on with their chores around the camp, everybody knowing what they are supposed to do and where they are supposed to be. But May was new here and had no place of her own. Before she could figure out what to do next, people started coming up to her and introducing themselves and pretty soon she knew the name of everyone in the camp. The two blond sisters, Andrea and Amy, invited her to join them in the quarry where they were washing clothes, and she gladly accepted. May and Kiba followed the two women who were curious to know more about her.

"So I have to ask" said Andrea, the older one "How did you end up alone" It was a good question. One she didn't really want to talk about but, if she's going to be staying there for a time, she'll have to share.

"I'm from Alaska. I came here with my coworker and best friend Jake Smith to take two wolf-cubs from the Atlanta Zoo and transport them to Alaska to be prepared to be released back in to the wild." When the two women looked at her confusedly "I was a ranger" she added with a smile. "Anyway, before we could head back to Alaska, all hell broke loose and we were stuck here. Not long after the panic started Jack was scratched and…" her voice trailed off. It was the first time she talked about it to anybody since it happened. She took a deep breath, composed herself and finished "He begged me to put him down, he didn't want to come back as one of those things. So I did."

"And you've been alone ever since?" asked the younger sister in shock "I'm so sorry." she said genuinely. "Thanks. Yeah, I've been alone since then. The first couple of days I wasn't in the mood to make new friends and after that I haven't ran in to any friendly survivors. Until Daryl, that is."

"I'd hardly call Daryl friendly" said Andrea with an amused grin. "In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him in a good mood." The three girls laughed, but, while she was stroking the fur behind Kiba's ear she couldn't help but think that the sisters must not have taken the time to talk Daryl. Sure, he was no ray of sunshine but he didn't seem that antisocial. "Actually, he's the first person I talked to in almost a month." She said as they approached the lake. "That explains why you find him friendly" said Amy jokingly.

May told the sisters she'd catch up with them a bit later. She had to get cleaned up and Kiba was ready for a bath as well. While scavenging for food, May came across a clothing store and, along with some clothes (two short sleeved tee-shirts, two camisole tops, a pair of denim shorts, a pair of pants, underwear, socks, a hoody, a sweater, a button-up plaid flannel shirt, a pair of sturdy boots and a pair of converse sneakers – prepared for any and all weather) she took a swimsuit. She wasn't sure why, but she did. It was all stuffed in her over-sized camping backpack. And it was all dirty. So she washed it all and left it in the sun to dry, hid in the bushes and changed in to the swimsuit. She then dove in the water, Kiba following her excitedly. The Georgian heat didn't agree with them. They splashed around and she scrubbed his fur as well as her body, releasing all the dirt and caked blood she's been covered with for weeks. Shane was teaching Carl to catch frogs not far from there and she could feel his eyes on her. She didn't like the man and she sure as hell didn't like him eyeing her.

When she finished and packed up her backpack again, now filled with clean clothes – she was so excited about that part – she braided her long, dark hair in a fish-bone braid and went back to where the women were washing everybody else's clothes to see if she can help. As she approached she saw Carol's husband Ed was standing there talking to them. He was a foul man, you could see that plainly just by how afraid his wife and daughter were of him. Before she could hear what they were saying she saw him throw a pair of wet jeans in Andreas' face.

May upped her pace, now fully concentrated on the situation. They seemed to be fighting for a while when Ed forcefully slapped Carol. All the women came to her defense and the red curtain was back in front of Mays eyes. She ran as fast as she could, Kiba right by her side. He went behind Ed while May jumped at him from the front. He lost his balance and fell over the dog; it was obvious this was something Kiba and May had done before. She straddled him and started punching his face in. He regained control and, before she knew it, she felt his fist connect to her temple. She braced herself for more punches to come her way, but that didn't happen. As Amy helped her sit up, she saw Shane was now on top of Ed beating him, while growled and snapped his powerful jaws at the bully's face. Carol was crying, the women were yelling at Shane to stop and all May wanted was for the ringing in her head to stop. She could feel the right side of her face swelling up. Shane, then, stopped.

"You put your hands on your wife, your little girl or anybody else in this camp one more time, next time I won't stop – do you hear me? Do you hear me?! I'll beat you dead. I'll beat you dead!" with that, he threw in one more punch and got up. Carol ran to her husband, Shane looked around with a what-the-hell-are-you-looking-at expression on his face and then walked away.

I got up and, with the help of Amy and Andrea, I went to the tent I set up for myself and went to sleep for a while, not in a mood to talk to anybody. The kids, Carl and Sophia, Carols' daughter, wanted to play with Kiba and I gave them a short "Sure, why not." before retiring to sleep.

When she woke up the sun was setting behind the trees to find that Amy and Andrea caught a whole lot of fish that was now being prepared for dinner. Also, Jim seemed to have some kind of a break down and dug six holes because of a dream he had. He seemed better now, though. Her head didn't hurt anymore, although she saw a big, swollen bruise on her face when she passed the RV's window. She decided to help out with the dinner and joined the people preparing the fish while Kiba sat by her side loyally, tired from running around with the kids all afternoon. They sat down to eat and she observed the other people from the camp enjoy themselves and talk and laugh. She mostly just ate and watched, sometimes laughing at a joke. Ed didn't join them so Carol and Sophia seemed a lot more relaxed and open to having fun. But May was distracted. It was already night and the four men that went to Atlanta still haven't returned. She was concerned for their safety. _Daryl's with them, they'll be fine. He can take care of himself. _Daryl… Her thought wandered towards him. She didn't really know anything about him so she couldn't understand why she was worried.

"May, what did you do before the end of the world?" Jacquie's words brought her back to reality. Everyone was looking at her with interest now. "I was a ranger. Guess I'm one of those lucky people who can use the skills I learned before the dead rose to survive now." She grinned humorlessly.

"Where are you going?" Andrea suddenly asked Amy who got up to leave the fire. "I have to pee. Jeez, you try and be discrete around here…" the younger sister answered, making everyone laugh. They kept on chatting but May noticed that Kiba was alert and uneasy. "What is it boy?" she asked the dog, trying to figure out why he was so upset. "Hey, there's no more toilet paper…" Amy said coming out of the RV, but her words soon turned to screams as a walker took a big bite out of her arm. At that moment everything erupted, everyone started running around looking for ways to defend themselves as a group of walkers invaded their camp.

"Kiba, heel!" she said running for the tent to take her bow and quiver. She couldn't risk anything happening to Kiba, he had to stay with her. There were screams and panic everywhere. May saw a walker going in for a bite of Carl's leg and she jumped at it, stabbing it in the skull, got up and continued running to her tent. She got to her bow in time to see a walker attacking the bewildered Andrea kneeling next to Amy's body and she shot an arrow between the walkers' eyes. The next one hit the target as well, but then Kiba ran towards a geek heading for May and she freaked out "Kiba, NO! Come back here! Kiba heel!" she screamed going after the dog. She felt a tug and realized a walker was latched on to her boot. She fell down, her head starting to pound again. She turned to stab the bastard, but there was another one coming from her side. _That's it, I'm dead. _But then a bolt with colorful feathers pierced the head of the charging walker, giving her an opportunity to stab the one gnawing on her boot. She got up and searched for the hunter seeing him across camp, looking at her direction, relieved to see her stand up. He nodded at her and she nodded back and then both of them went back to fighting. Kiba appeared out of nowhere, seeming unharmed, so she could focus on killing the dead bastards. She sent out arrow after arrow, all of them hitting their targets. When she looked for Daryl she saw a walker creeping up on him from behind, but he was too busy dealing with the one trying to bite his face off to notice. She reached to her quiver for an arrow but there were none left. _Shit. _She ran as fast as she could in his direction and jumped up at the dead bastard straddling it and stabbing it in the head over and over again. Daryl killed the geek attacking him and turned around to see May getting up from a walker whose face had been stabbed so much it was unrecognizable.

All the walkers were dead and people were stumbling around camp crying for their losses or hugging the loved ones that made it. Had the four men not shown up when they did, they all would have surely died. Andrea was sobbing over Amy's dead body, everybody looking at them in disbelief. May started getting dizzy from all the exhaustion and the pulsating feeling I her head and stumbled a bit, but felt two strong arms around her waist helping her maintain balance. It was Daryl. "Merle?" she asked, studying his face for an answer. He just shook his head slightly and she saw the hurt all over his face. They locked eyes, his blue with her yellow and held each others gaze. The moment was interrupted when Jim said "I remember my dream now…"

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_And that's all for now. Hope to have another one up in a couple of hours, but if not - don't judge me :D Review and enjoy!_


	4. The Aftermath

Hey there, darling readers! I have a new chapter for you. This one doesn't have all that much action, but i promise you, the next one will! I would have written it earlier, but some unexpected guests came over last night and, well... But it's here now and i hope you'll enjoy it.

FanFicGirl10 writergrrrl: thank you very much, i'm really glad you like it :)

I don't own anything related to the walking dead but i do own May and Kiba.

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**Chapter four: The Aftermath**

That night, May just couldn't fall asleep. She kept tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable, but she felt like her sleeping bag was stuffed with needles and nails. Kiba looked at her as if asking her what's wrong. "It's nothing, boy. I just can't sleep." _I'm talking to the dog now. Great!_ The camp had just been attacked and Amy was dead. _Amy is dead. _The feeling of dread came over her: Amy was such a young, pretty girl. She was so kind. _Amy was my age. _

She couldn't handle being in the tent any longer so she picked up her bow and quiver and went outside followed by Kiba. Some fresh air would do her good. And a stroll through the woods shouldn't be dangerous, she has both her bow and arrows and he hunting knife with her, plus Kiba. As soon as she went between the trees she felt a sense of relief come over her. In her core she knew she was meant to live in the wilderness, her entire life has been preparing her for this.

"Where d' you think you're goin'?" She swiftly turned around, her arrow pointed in front of her, just to see Daryl standing on the edge of the forest, eyeing her with disapproval. Kiba immediately started wagging his tail, happy to see Daryl joining them. For some reason, he liked Daryl a lot.

"Couldn't sleep." She answered simply. "What are you doing up?" May was annoyed that he followed her around. _What, does he think I can't take care of myself?_

"I heard someone sneakin' 'round so I got up ta investigate." He said like there's nothing else going on. But May could sense that it was more than that. With all that's happened, everybody forgot that Daryl had just lost his brother and it was their fault. She felt bad for the bitchy tone she had on a moment ago.

"Wanna walk with me?" she asked much more softly, offering a small but warm smile. _Man this girl was annoying. Does she want to get killed? _He couldn't just let her wander through the forest by herself. "Fine, but a short walk. Then you and your mutt go back ta sleep. I can't be spendin' all night takin care of you two."

"We don't need anyone taking care of us; we can do that ourselves just fine." She said both proudly and defensively. But then she realized the look on his wasn't the mocking kind, but rather a worried one. He was worried about her. "But still, you're probably right, we should go back soon." She added quickly.

He just grunted back at her. They walked for while without saying anything, but it was a pleasant silence, the kind that lets you gather your thoughts but still feel the comforting presence of another human.

When they were approaching the camp again she made a decision. "I think I'll stay with you guys. Last night would have turned out quite differently had I been alone."

"Whatever" was all he said, but what she didn't know was that he smiled when he turned his head away. They reached their respective tents and before he could turn around and go to sleep she stopped him to say "Daryl… Thank you." When he looked at her quizzically she added "For saving my life. I would have been eaten if you hadn't killed that walker." He hoped as hell that she couldn't see him blush. Of course he saved her. She was the first one he looked for when they realized the camp was attacked. "You did the same for me." He muttered turning to his tent.

"Good night, Dixon!" he heard she was smiling while saying that, but said nothing in return. He just disappeared behind the zipper.

"Let's go boy, we should get some rest." She said to Kiba, a smile still lingering on her lips. Daryl was definitely different than anyone she ever met. She felt so tired and realized that now she'll have no trouble falling asleep. And she was right; as soon as her head hit the improvised pillow, she fell asleep. This night, she didn't have the usual walker related nightmares and she didn't have to relive her parents' death but instead, she dreamt of a certain blue-eyed, redneck hunter she met in the woods.

She woke up to the smell of burning, rotting flesh. People around camp were smashing the heads of the people who died, and throwing walkers on to a fire. When Glenn saw her, he waved hello, and she waved back. Lorry, Shane, Carol, Rick and Dale were sitting around a small camp fire, looking at Andrea who hasn't moved since last night. The woman was just sitting over her sisters' body looking at her face. "What's going on?" asked May with a worried expression.

Lorry was the one who gave her the answer "Andrea won't move and she won't let us make sure Amy doesn't come back. She just sits there. When Rick tried to talk to her, she pointed a gun at him." Lorry was obviously sad for the woman but also didn't feel right having her point a gun at her husband.

Daryl walked over and didn't even look at May. He, instead, looked at Rick and said "Y'all can't be serious. The dead girl's a time bomb!" Rick turned to him "What do you suggest?" he asked, seemingly hoping for a solution. "Take the shot." Daryl was always practical. "Clean, in the brain. From here. Hell, I could hit a turkey 'tween the eyes from this distance."

"No." it was Lorry who interfered "For God's sake, let her be." Shane and Rick exchanged glances, it was obvious Shane was agreeing with Daryl on this one. Daryl just spat on the floor, angry, and walked away.

May decided not to get involved and to, instead, help Glenn. When she reached him, he saw Daryl and Morales dragging one of the camp victims to where they were burning walkers.

"What're you guys doing? This is for geeks! Our people go over there." He gestured to a line of dead bodies lying next to each other. Daryl tried to argue but May just gave him a deadly look and he gave up. "Our people go in that row over there." Glenn continued. He seemed like he was about to break apart. "We don't burn them! We burry them. Understand? Our people go in that row over there." Daryl and Morales just moved the body to where he pointed without argument. May saw how distraught Glenn was and hugged him. He hugged her back, obviously relived to feel support from someone. They let go of each other and he smiled at May gratefully. She was about to smile back but she heard Daryl say "You reap what you sow." Morales tried to shut him up "Oh, shut up man!" but Daryl continued "Y'all left my brother for dead! You had this coming!" and he walked away pissed off at all of them.

To everybody's surprise, May went after him. When she caught up with him, she put a hand on his shoulder and he flinched and turned around ready to punch whoever it was behind him. When he saw it was her, he froze. "What, you're gonna punch me now?" she asked halfway amused, halfway annoyed. He lowered his hand, not breaking eye contact. "I'm really sorry about your brother. You deserve more than that." For a second he seemed surprised and like he was trying to figure out what to say but Jacquie's voice interrupted him: "A walker got him! A walker bit Jim!" she shouted, backing away from the man. May jumped at the words in disbelief. Jim was such a nice man. She hadn't talked to him a lot, but he was always so pleasant to everybody and tried to help whenever he could. And he got bit. Shit. Everyone was forming a threatening circle around Jim. She felt Daryl walk past her with the pickaxe still in his hands. Jim practically whispered "I'm ok." but Daryl shouted "Show it to us! Show it to us!" Jim grabbed a shovel to defend himself repeating the whisper-like "I'm ok" but T-Dog grabbed him from behind and Daryl lifted his shirt. There was a fresh, bloody, yellowish bite mark just bellow his ribs. They let him go and backed away while Jim kept repeating "I'm ok. I'm ok…".

"I say we put a pickaxe in his head, and the dead girls', and be done with it." Daryl said, looking at the group. Shane didn't agree. "Is that what you'd want? For you?"

"Hell yeah, and I'd thank you while ya did it." Dale, the moral center of the group then pitched in "I hate to say it, I never thought I would, but maybe Daryl's right."

May then zoned out. She didn't want to be a part of this discussion, not like this. They were talking about the man as if he were already a walker. She noticed Rick and Shane got in to one of their arguments again but she wasn't sure what they were arguing about. Jim was looking at them, he could hear them, that much was obvious. When he looked at her, she locked eyes with him and tried to give him a look that said "Everything will be ok." but she wasn't sure of that herself. Daryl's angry voice brought her back to reality. "Y'all go looking for aspirin, do what ya need ta do, but somebody's' gotta have some balls 'round here!" He yelled while he lifted his pickaxe and went for Jim. May jumped in front of him and Rick pulled out his gun, pointing it in Daryl's' head. "Daryl, come down. Please." May looked at him with her big, amber eyes and he was ready to put the pickaxe down when the sheriff spoke. "We don't kill the living." he stated threateningly. Daryl turned to him and said "That's funny, comin' from a man who just put a gun to my head."

"We may disagree on some things, but not on this. Put it down." Shane said, siding with Rick. May wasn't gonna stand for all that, it was the third time Rick had put a gun to Daryl's head in two days. "Why doesn't Rick put his gun down instead. Seems to me like he'd like to use Daryl for target practice." She was clearly very angry and wasn't going to let up, so the two men put down their weapons. "Now stop talking about Jim like he isn't here." Then she walked away from the scene.

As she walked towards the woods, she saw Dale talking to Andrea and she didn't seem like she was going to shoot him so May carried on. She saw Daryl give the pickaxe to Carol, and then saw Carol smash in her dead husbands' skull. Daryl stood by and watched as the woman let out all her anger and frustration with every blow she took. He then lifted his gaze and saw a tall, lean figure disappear between the trees. _She's wondering of on her own again. Damn it._

May wasn't sure where her dog was. She guessed he was playing with the kids, though she hasn't seen him since this morning. She let out a sound, like a howl, that they used to find each other and in a few seconds she felt a cold, wet nose on the back of her neck. She turned around expecting to find only Kiba and was surprised when she saw he wasn't alone. Daryl was right behind him, looking at her amusedly.

"You tryin' to git yourself eaten again?" He smirked. May wasn't in the mood to talk to him. She was still pretty pissed about the whole trying-to-pickaxe-Jims'-head incident. So she just sat in silence and scratched Kiba behind the ears. He kept standing there, looking at her and waiting. He wasn't sure why he came after her, he never gave a rats' ass about what other people are doing, but for some reason he had to be sure she was alright. It was an annoying feeling, one he'd rather be rid off, but it was there. His train of thoughts was interrupted by a sound of a gunshot. They both jumped up and fully alert, but then realized it was just one gunshot. Kiba was calm which meant he didn't smell the walkers nearby and then they realized that Amy must have woken up and that they put her down for good.

In silence, the three of them started walking back to camp when May remembered something. "What were Rick and Shane fighting about before you went all-Hulk?" she asked boldly, waiting to see his reaction. _I probably deserved that _he thought, so he just explained to her that Rick wanted to go to the CDC to try and find a cure for Jim, while Shane wanted to go to Forth Benning and seek military protection. "But the military was in the front rows when all this started and they were overrun." May said, thinking that Fort Benning isn't even an option."That's what Rick said." Daryl explained. "But surely they realize we won't find a cure for Jim. If there was a cure, people would know about it. Whatever is behind this, whichever government, I'm certain they didn't think it would turn out the way it did." She was exhausted. They came to camp and she helped Daryl and Glenn load the bodies in Daryl's truck to be taken to the hill where they were to be buried. Daryl drove the truck, with Kiba who jumped in the empty seat while May and Glenn decided to walk.

"May, I have to ask: how can you be so friendly to Daryl?" Glenn asked with genuine curiosity. "Why wouldn't I be? I mean, he's rough around the edges and most of the time doesn't really know how to express any feeling except anger, but he's a good man. That much is obvious."

Glenn wasn't convinced. "Are you sure? I mean… Sometimes he seems ok, but sometimes I'm just plain scared of him." May looked like she was thinking about what he said. "I don't think he would ever really hurt anybody from our group. Except maybe Shane, but I'd like to hurt him too, sometimes." She added jokingly, and they both laughed.

That afternoon they buried their dead, packed up their camp, said goodbye to the Morales's, who decided not to come with them, and were ready to go to the CDC. Jim was in Dell's RV and everybody seemed to have a seat except for May and Kiba. "Hey, Daryl, can we drive with you, it seems nobody else has room for us." She asked as a formality, assuming he'd say yes. "Nope."

"What?! Where are we supposed to drive?" she asked angrily. _Why does he have to be that much of a jerk? _"Fine, you can drive with me, but no talkin', no barkin' and no mutt-drool! It's ma alone time, and it's gonna stay that way, got it?" The truth was he couldn't say no to her amber eyes and he hated it so, naturally, he took it out on her. "Well thank you for being so generous and kind." May said sarcastically, loading her backpack to the back of the van. _Last time I ask him for a favor. _And with that, the caravan of Atlanta survivors was on the road to the CDC.

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That's it, folks! Hopefully, i'll have another update soon, so enjoy and review :D


	5. Dead-end

_Hey guys! I am sooooooooo sorry it took me this long to post another chapter! It's just that i was working as a camera operator in a second crew of a film shoot and i took a lot out of me. On the bright side, they told me they really like my work and the producer said he has a low-budget commercial coming up and that they'll probably call me to be the Director of Photography so... That's supper exciting! Anyway, i digress. Do you all miss the walking dead as much as i do? I can't wait till February! Until then, enjoy this chapter and feel free to review - any feedback is golden :)_

_I do not own anything related to the walking dead, although May and Kiba are mine.  
_

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**Chapter five: Dead-end**

They had just picked up camp and were on their way to the CDC, with a half of what their group was and a bitten Jim who was getting worse. May and Kiba were riding with Daryl in his blue 1973 Ford F-250 pickup truck which he wasn't exactly happy about. When they took off Daryl looked so utterly sad and broken, may figured it was because of his brother, so she decided she didn't want to cause any trouble an she just sat there quietly, scratching Kiba behind the ears. Looking at the Georgian landscapes it almost felt like nothing had changed, like they were on a road-trip, and with that feeling of security she fell asleep.

She felt the truck pulling over and it woke her up. She realized her head was leaning against something firm and warm. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw she lay her head down on Daryl's shoulder. She quickly lifted it and gave him an innocent look hoping this wouldn't set him off like so many things did.

Daryl turned his head away so she wouldn't see him smirk. It was strangely natural and pleasant driving with her sleeping on his shoulder. He chose not to think about it because it would probably just give him a headache – everything about this girl did. He, sometimes, wished he never ran into her, life would be much simpler.

"What's going on, why are we stopping?" her voice brought him back to reality.

"Dunno. Dale just pulled over."

When they came closer they herd Dale say "Told you we wouldn't get far on that hose." He was talking to Rick "We needed the one from the box-truck." The truck never came back with the four men, they guessed Merle took it. "Can't you fix it somehow?" asked Rick, hoping they could get on with their trip. It wasn't safe just standing on the side of the road. "Not really, it's already more duct-tape than hose. And I'm out of duct-tape."

"I see something up ahead. A gas-station, if we're lucky…" Shane started, but was interrupted by Jacquie who jumped out of the RV "Y'all, Jim! It's bad… I don't think he can take anymore." Glenn and I exchanged glances. We all knew what was in Jim's' future.

Shane and T-Dog left to check out the gas-station while Rick went in the RV to talk to Jim. Sophia and Carl were playing with Kiba who welcomed the exercise. The rest of us just walked around the caravan of vehicles, stretching our legs and trying not to think about what's going to hit us next.

"You're looking better then when we left camp. I guess the younger Dixon agrees with you." Glenn teased her with a smirk, anything to take their minds of the fact the civilization has ended.

"Will you give that up!" May complained blushing and with a smile on her face. "I just slept a little, that's all."

"Oh, you won't lie to me, we passed you at one point, for some reason Daryl slowed down." Glenn said with a cheeky smile "I saw you sleeping on his shoulder." Her face was now completely red.

"You sure pay a lot of attention to what Daryl and I do, don't you?" she noticed, being the one with a cheeky smile this time. "Yeah, well… Honestly, the people here are great; it's just, nobody's really my age. You're the only one. So I guess I try to look out for you a bit more." He stated simply and seriously. May was touched by this and she felt a friendship develop between them, in spite of everything that's going on. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

That's when rick came outside the RV looking pale and defeated. He told everybody that Jim was too weak to keep traveling with them and that he would like them to leave him here.

"It's what he says he wants." He finished, obviously not happy about it. May had grown to respect Rick, even though she still hated the whole pointing-a-gun-at-Daryl-all-the-time thing. He respected the people around him and always tried to reach a compromise that would satisfy everyone while still doing the right thing. It was an admirable trait.

"And he's lucid?" asked Carol in disbelief. "He seems to be… I would say yes." The sheriff answered her.

"Back at the camp when I said I agree with Daryl, you misunderstood. I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just going to suggest we ask Jim what he wants to do." Dale was always a voice of reason. "I think we have an answer"

"Just leave him here… take off. I'm not sure I could live with that." Shane said. "It's not your call, neither one of you" Lorry stated simply.

Everybody still seemed unsure of what to do. May thought it was obvious "Look, people, Jim is a part of this group as much as any one of us and he deserves more than this. He is dying, he knows it and we know it, so why not let him die on his own terms? That's a rare luxury that we owe him." Her eyes watered a bit while finishing, but she was determined to stay strong. That was the end of discussion.

Rick and Shane carried Jim out of the RV and sat him under a tree. It was a lovely place with lots of fresh grass and a nice shade. "Another damn tree" said Jim jokingly. "You know it doesn't have to be like this?" Shane said, still hoping the man would change his mind and come with them. "No, no, it's fine. The breeze feels nice." He made his decision.

Everybody said their goodbyes and when only May and Daryl were left, the hunter nodded at Jim, not knowing what to say. He then whispered to May "I'll be in the truck." and left. May walked up to Jim and sat beside him. "You should go on, you still have a long way." He said, trying to make it easier on her. She was taking it hard, the whole situation reminded her to much of Jake. "Here's a bottle of water, it gets hot here." she said with a smile, holding back tears. He smiled at her. She placed it in his hand and loosened the cap so he could open it more easily. She then kissed him on the cheek and left.

She found Kiba still with the kids and called him over. He happily ran to his pack leader. She then took a bowl from her backpack and poured some water in it, so he could drink up a bit before they leave. Then they both jumped in Daryl's truck, and the caravan took off once more.

The silence in the truck was tense. She wasn't sure if she should say anything or if that would make things even more awkward. "Ya know, you don't have to be quiet all tha time." the hunter said without looking at her. "I didn't mean it literally"

"I figured, better safe than sorry, one never knows with you" she smirked. She took a long pause and then asked what was on her mind the entire day "Do you think we'll find anything useful in the CDC?"

"Dunno. Guess we'll find out when we get there." He was quiet for a while. "How's your hand?" May looked at him quizzically. "What about my hand?" she asked.

"'T'was pretty swollen after you punched Ed. What's up whit you an' punchin' anyways?" He asked, halfway amused. May, on the other hand, couldn't believe that he worried enough to ask. "It's OK, it doesn't hurt or anything. And I punch people that deserve it. I always have." She really has. Her life philosophy was that life was too short to fuck around with idiots. "That's why yer good at it." He said seriously and the both stared at each other for a second before bursting in to laughter. This released all the emotions May's been putting aside to deal with later and she suddenly felt all the pain, hurt, fear, exhaustion, regret and loneliness of the past month. It all came out in a river of tears and uncontrollable sobs that shook her entire body. Kiba put his head in her lap and looked up at her helpless to make her feel better.

Daryl was stunned by this, it wasn't what he'd expected and it certainly wasn't something he knew how to deal with. So he just let her cry and hoped she didn't think he was an idiot for not saying or doing anything. After about fifteen minutes, May managed to calm down and was now feeling embarrassed at what happened. She dug around her backpack looking for a tissue, hiding her ace behind a curtain of long, dark hair and actively not looking at Daryl. She felt his eyes on her as she cleaned up and didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry… I didn't know that was going to happen" was all she could say. "No big deal" was all he said but, knowing how hard a time he has expressing his feelings, May felt better. She looked at him and laughed a bit, making him smirk. He saw her golden eyes light up when she laughed and he was sure she'll be OK, at least for now. Kiba lifted his head and started licking her face, making them both laugh even more as the building of the CDC grew in front of them. They reached their goal.

Ten minutes later they were all leaving their vehicles and May took her backpack, her bow and quiver, just to be sure. It was everything her and Kiba had. They were all armed now, thanks to the bag of guns Rick brought. The streets, the sidewalk, the entrance to the CDC – everything was covered with rotting corpses. The stench was mind-numbing and May felt like she was going to throw up. She felt a hand on her lower back and turned her head to see Daryl besides her. "C'mon." he said in a reassuring voice and gently pushed her towards the CDC entrance.

"Hurry. C'mon. Stay together… Keep moving." Rick and Shane urged them. They reached the entrance and all the doors were closed. The two policemen tried to open them but it was futile.

"There's nobody here." said T-Dog in an 'I told you so' voice. Rick wasn't going to just give up. "Then why are these shutters down?"

May looked at Kiba who started growling lowly and then herd Daryl yell "Walkers!" Everybody turned around, the children started crying, women were scared but Daryl an May shot at the one walker behind them at the same time, the bolt and the arrow hitting an eye each. Daryl then turned around and screamed at Rick "You led us in to a death-trap!" and he walked forcefully towards the Sheriff. "Daryl, wait…" May tried to stop the confrontation, but was interrupted by Shane: "He made a call." he said, standing between Rick and the furious hunter "Well it was a wrong damn call!" Daryl replied back, not stopping. That's when Shane pushed him back shouting "Shut up! You hear me?! Shut up! Shut up." And then he turned to Rick. "Rick, this is a dead-end. Do you hear me?" Carl was crying, and Lorry held him close. She wasn't going to let her son get hurt. "Rick, he's right, we can't be this close to the city after dark." she said in a panicked voice. Shane was still pushing his idea: "Fort Benning, Rick. It's still an option." Then, May heard Andrea speak for the first time since she put Amy down. "On what? We have no food, no fuel. It's a hundred miles!"

People started yelling and screaming at the same time, nobody offering a real solution, and May felt a big, strong hand wrap around her arm a gently but firmly pull her away. "We're getting out 'a here. Get the mutt and c'mon!" Daryl urged her to follow him to the truck. "You can't be serious. Leave everyone like this?" May didn't feel right about it, they had the upper hand, their weapons were silent, they could hunt and Kiba could smell walkers coming before anyone of them could see them… _On the other hand, we would be safer if it was just the three of us and… _She didn't have time to finish the thought because she heard Rick shout "The camera! It moved!" Everyone was already leaving for the vehicles when they heard this and stopped in momentary shock. "You imagined it." Dale said desperately, although he didn't try to leave. "No, it moved." Rick was certain.

"Ranger-girl, c'mon. Forget this." Daryl was now pissed off that May was just standing there. He was pissed off he couldn't leave her behind. He was pissed off this was a dead end. He was just pissed off. May felt Daryl's breath on her neck as he urged her to go and she suddenly couldn't hear or see anything. She could make out Shane was arguing with Rick about the camera, but she couldn't make out the words. Daryl's breath was so hot, she felt like it left a burn-mark on her neck. He was standing so close she could smell him – he smelled like earth and tree bark and leather and sweat and it was intoxicating.

A strong sound of banging brought her back to reality. "I know you're in there! I know you can hear me!" Rick was desperately banging on the shutter and yelling at the camera. "Please, we're desperate. We have women and children, we have no food. We have nowhere else to go. Please!" Lorry tried to stop him, to make him leave but he just kept shouting. "If you don't let us in you're killing us! Please!"

Dozens of walkers were closing in on them and Daryl picked the tall, slim girl up and threw her over his shoulder and said "C'mon mutt." which Kiba did. Daryl had his pack leader, he could sense he didn't want to hurt her and Kiba wasn't going to leave her. "Daryl! Put. Me. Down!" May yelled at the hunter, trying to wiggle out of his firm grip. Back at the entrance, Rick was still shouting "Please! You're killing us!" while Shane was pulling him away. Everyone was scared, screaming and crying, Daryl was practically running for the truck with May still over his shoulder when suddenly, a sharp sound followed by bright, white light stopped everyone. The door opened. Daryl turned around, almost as if he forgot he was holding May and now she couldn't see anything. "Dixon! Drop me!" He, then, remembered he was still holding her, and he gently put her down. They all stood there motionlessly for a moment and then, all at once, they put their weapons in front of them and slowly moved in. They were saved.

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_So, that's it for now. I promise i'll try and upload another chapter by the end of the day - to make up for the long break between this one and the last one. Read, enjoy, review! :*_


	6. Highs and Lows

_Hi y'all darling readers! You having fun so far? Well, here's a new chapter! It would have been up sooner, but i was out of town and simply didn't have the time or the internet to upload it until now :) So, have fun, read and review :)_

_lilnightmare17 I hate weak characters as well, especially girls, cause let's face it, a weak person wouldn't stay alive long enough to meet the group, and a weak girl is just a cliche. I'm really glad you like the story :) _

_I do not own anything except May and Kiba  
_

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**Chapter six: Higs and Lows  
**

The group slowly entered the building, weapons at ready. "Hello!" Rick called out, waiting for someone to answer. "Any of you infected?" asked a male voice. It belonged to a middle aged, blond man pointing a gun at them. "One of our group was. He didn't make it." Rick answered. The man cautiously walked towards them. "Why are you here and what do you want?" he demanded. "A chance." Rick answered, but the man kept his gun up. "That's asking an awful lot these days." May thought the man didn't look particularly scared, which she found odd. She herd Rick answer "I know." The man took a more careful look at them – he saw the children, he saw they all looked hungry, tired, dirty and, most of all, terrified. "You all submit to a blood test – that's the price of admition" he finally said. "We can do that" Rick answered quickly, as if he was afraid he might change his mind. That's when the man put the gun down and said quickly "You got stuff to bring in, you do it now; once this door closes it stays closed. Also, about the dog…" but this time he was interrupted by Daryl "The dog stays." he said almost threateningly. The man didn't want to argue so he just shook his head and agreed.

They brought all their stuff in and introduced themselves. The man's name was Edwin Jenner and he was a scientist that worked at the CDC before all hell broke loose. He took them to a big room with lots of equipment May had no idea what was for occasionally giving an order to, what she figured was a computer, called Vi.

"Where is everybody? The staff, the other doctors…" Rick was curious, and so was everyone else. "There's no one else. I'm it." Jenner said but they just couldn't believe it. "What about the person you were speaking with? Vi." asked Lorry hopefully. "It's a computer. Everything in the building is electronic." said May observantly. Jenner seemed impressed. "That's right. Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them… Welcome". An electronic, emotionless voice answered "Hello guests. Welcome.". This shattered all of their hopes. "I'm all that's left. Sorry."

After they gave their blood he prepared a huge feast with all sorts of food and wine. They feasted and drank like it was their last meal – for all they knew, it might have been. May gave Kiba big chunks of meat and vegetables and the hungry dog happily ate them all.

"You know, in France and Italy children have a little wine with dinner." said Dale as if asking permission from Lorry. "And when Carl's in Italy or France, he can have wine." The mother answered, making everyone laugh. "Oh, come on, what's a little gonna hurt?" Rick urged his wife to loosen up. She caved and Carl got to try wine. To everyone's amusement, he hated it and put his glass away. When Glenn was about to leave his glass, Daryl spoke "Not you Glenn. I wanna see how red your face can get!" they all laughed again and May stood up drunkenly and hugged Glenn, pouring him more wine. She looked at Daryl and gave him her brightest smile and, to her surprise, Daryl smiled back. Rick then toasted to Jenner and they all thanked him – he most likely saved their lives.

"So when are you gonna tell us what happened here, doc?" Shane then spoke. "All the other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened. Where are they?"

"Shane, we don't need to do this now." Rick protested.

"But that's why we're here, ain't it?" Shane continued viciously. "This was your move. We were supposed to find all the answers but instead – we found him. Just one man. Why?" Shane had a knack at making everyone uncomfortable.

"Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just… left. Went of to be with their families. And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun the rest bolted."

"Every last one?"

"No. Many couldn't face walking out the door. They… opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time…" he trailed off.

"You didn't leave." Said Andrea. "Why?"

"I just kept working. Hoping… to do some good." He then looked at May. She couldn't figure out what the look meant. Glenn stopped her from thinking any further about it "Man, you are such a buzz kill" he said to Shane.

After that Jenner took them to a part of the facility they could sleep and shower in. Shower! May was beside herself when she heard there was hot water. They settled in various rooms and she shared hers with Jacquie and Andrea. She took each piece of her clothing out, washing them all slowly with cold water before she finally went in to the shower herself. She called Kiba in and took the shampoo spreading it over his fur and rubbing him clean. When she rinsed his fur he jumped out and shook the excess water off, while she washed her own hair. She got out of the shower and realized she must have been in there for a long time. She put on panties, a pair of cotton shorts and a white camisole top and headed for the rec room with Kiba at her heels.

When she reached it, nobody else was there. She stretched and went straight for the books. There were many of them, but she only needed one. And she found it in a matter of minutes – "100 Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It was the book that got her through her parents' deaths and after that, through any difficult situation she had in her life. Now that she found it again, she was more certain than ever that they'll outlive this… whatever this was. She was going to ask Jenner if she could keep it – he certainly won't miss it with the hundreds of other books he had here.

Kiba, who was lying on the floor next to her suddenly lifted his ears and started wagging his tail. She turned around to see what the all fuss was about and, a couple of seconds later, saw Daryl walk through the rec room door. Even though she was, he didn't seem surprised to see her.

"Thought I'd find ya here ranger-girl." he said nonchalantly. She moved her long, dark and still wet hair away from her face and smiled. "You were looking for me Dixon." It wasn't a question – it was a statement. He just shrugged and walked over to her. That was the first time she actually saw him clean. "So that's the real color of your hair!" she teased. "So that's the real color of your mutt." He said, grinning meanly. "Hey, it's not his fault; he was built for snowier, less dusty conditions."

When he sat down, she could smell his skin and the smell was intoxicating. She leaned on to a couch and he did the same. His arm brushed against hers and she felt tiny electric shocks spread from the spot and all over her body. _What the hell is wrong with you? You're a grown woman, pull yourself together!_

When he sat down and brushed her arm, Daryl noticed how red her cheeks got. She was so young, so beautiful and seemed so fragile. He knew if he told her that she'd probably try and kick his ass, though, and that fact made her even more appealing. He hated that he liked her so much. He hated how much more gentle she made him. Most of all he hated how he loved being around her. May smelled so good, and not just now, but all the time – she smelled like spring, fresh greenery, violets and vanilla… It made him dizzy every time. Her voice brought him back to reality.

"Hey, I just remembered something! When Jake and I came here we brought something to relax a bit and I completely forgot about it until now… Do you smoke weed?" she said the last part shyly, but she was serious. He took a long pause and May wasn't sure if she should have asked that. But the fact was this was the first, and probably the only time that they were safe enough to get high and now that she remembered she had marijuana, she wasn't going to let it go to waste.

"Yes." Daryl said, with a bit of a grin on his lips. She smiled widely, jumped up and ran for her back pack. She opened a small, hidden compartment in one of the pockets and pulled out 5 joints. _Man, Jake, you packed enough for two weeks… _She took one of them and put the rest back, she grabbed a box of matches and went back to Daryl. They lit it up and smoked it in silence. After about ten minutes, they felt the first effects and she laid down on her back looking up at the ceiling.

"What, too much for ya?" he asked, smirking and laid next to her. "Oh, no, just enough. I was just thinking…" and then she trailed off. He waited for her to continue but when it didn't happen he asked "What were you thinking?" she looked at him confused "What?" she asked. Then they both realized what the exchange sounded like and started laughing. That lasted for a while and, when she finally calmed down she turned to look at him and saw a hint of a scar on his shoulder, disappearing in his shirt.

When she lifted her gaze it met his. Their eyes locked and they stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. He swiftly rolled to his side and his face was now inches away from hers. She felt his hot breath on her neck and it gave her goose bumps. He lifted his hand and slowly stroked her neck with one of his fingers. It trailed down her jaw line, than followed the neck to her collarbone and made a short stop at the little dimple at the bottom of her neck. Her entire body tingled and she felt like she would spontaneously combust any second. His finger then made a straight, slow line down the middle of her body and she felt his lips on her neck. His tongue lightly touched her skin and as his hand went down and around her waist, pulling her closer to him, their lips met.

Daryl saw her looking at his shoulder and when their eyes met he knew he wanted, no, needed her. He turned to his side and gently trailed her neck with his finger, testing the waters. He wanted to feel and taste her so bad it almost hurt. Her milky skin was softer than anything he ever felt and being so close to her, he could feel her flowery, fresh scent more than ever. He couldn't wait any longer, and started kissing her neck, pulled her closer and crashed their lips together.

She never knew his kisses would me so soft. She reached behind his neck and put her hand there, pulling him even closer. They were as close as physically possible and she felt his kisses become more forceful and passionate. She felt he needed her, and she needed him just as much. She was so alone and he found her and now they were going to remind each other what it felt like to be alive. She wrapped her legs around him and he sat up. Without breaking their kisses, she unbuttoned her shirt and slowly pulled it off. When she trailed her hand down his back she felt he was covered with scars.

He was about to take her shirt off when the door slammed open and an extremely drunk Glenn and T-Dog barged in the room. Kiba, who'd been sleeping on under a book shelf jumped up. May swiftly jumped off Daryl's lap and sat on the floor. He wasn't as quick. He seemed annoyed by this turn of events and slowly pulled his sleeveless shirt back on. Glenn gave May a look that was something between amused, surprised and confused. T-Dog didn't seem to realize what they interrupted and instead smiled widely at them and turned to Glenn "Look, we aren't the only ones who were bored!" then he turned to the pair on the floor: "You guys wanna play a game or something?"

Before they had time to answer, Glenn put his hand on his shoulder and said "C'mon T-Dog, I think we interrupted a serious conversation. We best take those cards over there and go back to our room." He then grabbed a deck of cards from a shelf and said "Sleep tight, you guys!" winking at May. T-Dog followed him obediently, waving to them with a goofy look on his face.

When they were left alone again, the pair sat on the floor for a while until Daryl got up, mumbled something and left the room. May was left sitting on the floor of the rec room and didn't know what to feel. She didn't understand what he said, she was too tired and suddenly felt the effect of booze and weed kick in. The moment was broken and he must have gone off to sleep. She was too tired to go back to her room so she just crawled up on the couch and fell asleep.

Daryl figured he'd go fix up another bed in his room and let her sleep there – there was no way she wasn't going to wake up her roommates. "I'll be right back" he said and went to fix the room up a bit. He kept thinking back to how soft her skin was, how passionately she held onto him. He could smell her scent all over his body. _What's wrong with you? It's the end of the world and you're getting all mushy. Merle would kick your ass. _But Merle wasn't around and May was. He couldn't help but wonder why she was. He frowned at the thought but in all fairness a nice girl like that couldn't possibly see anything in a no-good redneck like him. Thought like that kept plaguing his mind. He went back to the rec room to tell her she can sleep in his room, only to find May curled up on the couch, asleep.

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_So, that's it for now. I'm working on a new chapter that will, hopefully be up before new years, but with all the work i have to do for university and midyear exams coming up, i won't promise anything. I hope you liked this chapter and... Well, review so i'd know to change anything you guys might think doesn't work - i am an amateur, after all :)_


	7. Decontamination

**My darling, beautiful readers, i am very sorry i haven't uploaded anything in such a long time. I've been having some serious family problems and a serious lack of time, but now i'm back! I'll post another chapter tomorrow, i've just now started working on it. Anyway, i really hope you enjoy this one, i made it extra long, as an apology :) Feel welcome to review :) **

**Also, if you're a fan of either the show Misfits or the manga/anime Death Note, check out the two new stories i just posted. :)**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own the Walking Dead or any of it's characters. However, May and Kiba are mine.**

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**Chapter seven: Decontamination**

May fluttered her eyes open, expecting to be blinded by sunlight. Instead, she found she was in a dimly lit room, in a bed she didn't recognize. Kiba was at the foot of her bed, awake. He looked at her, happily and jumped to the floor waiting for her to get up so they could go eat. She sat up, everything that happened in the past few days and especially last night coming back to her. She looked around the room, trying to figure out whose it was because it definitely wasn't hers. All her stuff was there, sure, but there were only two beds. She saw a familiar bag and crossbow and realized she, somehow, ended up in Daryl's room, even though she remembered climbing on to the couch in the rec room to sleep. She got dressed, pulling on a pair of denim shorts, a black camisole top, plaid, flannel button-up shirt and her sturdy, black leather boots, leaving them unlaced.

She left the room followed by Kiba and headed for the dining room – she figured that's where everyone'll be. Her instincts were right, as she walked in to see them all there; some where sitting around the table, while others were either making food or simply standing around. "Protein helps the hang over." T-Dog said to the moaning Glenn, pouring some powdered eggs he'd prepared in his plate. "Good morning." May said, slumping in to a chair between Glenn and Rick. There was a lot of food on the table as well as coffee, orange juice and aspirin for those with hangovers. She, as luck would have it, was one of those people that had the opposite of hangover – she felt rested and was in a good mood. Rick and Lorry were talking to each other as she turned to check Glenn out. "Hey, man, are you okay?" she asked with a grin on her face. "Don't ever, ever, ever let me drink again." he said, leaning his head against his hand. She tapped him lightly on the back and smiled sympathetically – she'll make fun of him later.

Shane walked in and said hi to everyone as she searched for a specific someone with her eyes. She saw Daryl behind the counter, leaning against a sink and holding his plate, eating. Their eyes met and lined for a moment before T-Dog's voice got their attention. "'Tha hell happened to you? Your neck…?" he said, pointing to three bloody, scabbed scratches on his neck. They seemed to have been caused by nails. He shrugged and sat down. "Must have done it in my sleep." he mumbled in to a cup of coffee, taking a long sip. "Never seen you do that before." Rick said, giving him a slightly suspicious look. "Me neither… Not like me at all." Shane answered, giving Lorry a strange look. She looked away, eating her breakfast awkwardly. The moment was interrupted by Janner joining them.

"Good morning." He called out, heading for the coffee machine. "Good morning, Doc." they answered almost simultaneously. "Doc, I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing…" Dale started, as pleasant as usual. "… But you will anyway." Janner said, pouring himself a cup of steaming hot coffee. "We didn't come here for the eggs." Andrea said sharply. "Alright. Let's all finish breakfast, and I'll show you everything." Janner said, joining them at the table.

As promised, as soon as they were all fed, Janner led them to the main control room. He pressed a couple of buttons and a huge screen appeared in front of them. "Give me a playback of TS-19" he said to nobody in particular in the room. Vi's voice answered emotionlessly. "Playback of TS-19." As the screen loaded with images, he turned to them. "Few people ever got a chance to see this. Very few." The only way May could explain the image on the screen was a 3D MRI of the central nervous system. "Is that a brain?" Carl asked curiously. Janner turned to the boy with a face full of admiration as he said "An extraordinary one… Not that it matters anyway." he added in a sadder tone. He instructed the computer to give them an enhanced internal view of the brain and the brain stem.

The camera turned and they were now on the side of the now horizontal person's head. It, then, zoomed in all the way to a cellular level, showing them a complicated web with light flashing through it. "What are those lights?" asked Shane. "Those are nerves and synapses and the lights are the energy that makes us… alive." May said, staring at the giant screen in amazement. Daryl shoot her a quick, surprised look. "That's right. This is a person's life; experiences, memories… It's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, all those ripples of light, is you. It's the thing that makes you unique and human." Janner said. "Ya gonna make sense… ever?" Daryl asked, looking at Janner and then May. "Like miss O'Connell said, these are synapses, electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says, does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death." Janner explained, his voice trailing off slightly.

"So that's what this is, a vigil?" Rick asked, walking up the scientist. "Yes." Janner said, looking at the video, obviously saddened. "Or rather, the playback of the vigil." May couldn't be sure about this, but it seemed as if Janner knew this person well – he suddenly seemed so crushed. "This person died?" Andrea asked, looking at the video. "Who?" she asked, taking a stand next to Rick. "Test subject 19. Someone who was… bitten and infected and volunteered to have us record the process." His voice cracked a bit. He composed himself and addressed the computer. "Vi, scan forward to the firs event." The computer did so and soon, May noticed how the nerves in the brain stem had gone black. "What is that?" Glenn asked, sounding both amazed and scared. "Is that meningitis?" May asked Janner. He seemed genuinely impressed by her question. "No, it's the virus. But it attacks the brain like meningitis. The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brain goes in to shut down and then the major organs fail." As he said that, the person in the video convulsed a couple of times before it completely ceased movement and all the little ripples of light in the brain went black. "Then death." Janner finished in a saddened voice.

"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia asked her mother, seeming terrified of the prospect. Nobody answered, they all just looked away, while Andrea was fighting back tears. Janner turned to her with a questioning look. "She lost someone two days ago… Her little sister." Lorry said in a slow, soft tone. "I lost somebody too, I know how it feels." Janner said in a comforting voice to Andrea. They shared a look, but said nothing. "Vi, scan to the second event." The scientist instructed the computer. "The resurrection time is very unpredictable. I have reports of it happening in less than three minutes. The longest we herd of was eight hours. In case of this patient it was two hours, one minute, seven seconds…" his voice trailed off. As he said that, ripples of a weak, red light started appearing in the brain stem part of the nervous system. "It restarts the brain?" Lorry asked in a panicked voice. "Seems it's just the brain stem." May said, turning to Janner for confirmation. "Exactly. Basically, it gets them up and moving." Rick walked up to the doctor. "But they're not alive?" he asked with a hint of hope in his voice. Janner sighed, pointed at the video and said: "You tell me." Rick watched the video for a second. "It's nothing like before. Most of this brain is dark." Janner nodded. "Dark, lifeless, dead… The frontal lobe, the neo-cortex, the human part, the YOU part, it doesn't come back. It's just a shell driven by mindless instinct."

The undead person in the video convulsed again – May guessed it wanted to feed – and then there was a flash and something dug a tunnel through the brain. Someone shot her. "God… What was that?" Carol asked, flinching at the sight. "He shot his patient in the head. Didn't you?" Andrea said in a weak voice. Janner didn't answer. "Vi, power down the main screen and the work stations." With that, most of the room went dark, except for the main light. "You have no idea what it is, do you?" Andrea said in an abrasive, slightly accusing tone. He looked away for a moment before he started speaking. "It could be microbial, viral, parasitic... fungal…" Jacque interrupted him. "Or the wrath of God?" she asked in a shaky voice. "There's that." he agreed, defeated. "Somebody must know something. Somebody. Somewhere!" Andrea said desperately. "There are others, right? Other facilities?" Carol asked timidly. "There may be some… people like me."

"But you don't know! How can you not know?!" Rick sounded desperate.

"Everything went down, communications, directives, all of it. I've been in the dark for almost a month."

"So it's not just here?" Andrea asked. "There's nothing left anywhere. Nothing. That's what you're really saying, right?" They all waited for a moment, but he said nothing. Andrea started breathing heavily, while Jacque inhaled sharply and let out a small sob. "Man, imam get shit-face drunk again…" Daryl said, pressing his eyes with his palms. "Count me in." May said, crouching near Kiba. The dog pushed her hand with his nose, asking for a cuddle. She absently scratched him behind the ears. "Doctor Janner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask you one more question, but… That clock." Dale said, pointing at the big, digital clock on the wall that was counting down to something. "It's counting down. What happens at zero?"

"The… basement generators run out of fuel."

"And then?" Rick asked cautiously. Janner said nothing, walking away. "Vi, what happens when the power runs out?"

"When the power runs out, facility-wide decontaminations will occur." Vi's metallic voice said. May lifted her head up sharply with a terrified look on her face. "What?!" she said in a loud gasp. She got up and went for the door, signaling Kiba to follow her. Rick, Shane, Glenn and T-Dog followed her as she went straight for the generator room. She heard they were saying something, but wasn't paying attention. When they got to the room, she headed for one of the fuel tanks and Rick tilted it to hear how much fuel as left. They were running on fumes. Then, all of the sudden, the lights shut down and the emergency lights turned on. Glenn and T-Dog ran up to them. "Hey, you guy's cut the lights?"

"Nah, they just went out… Found anything?"

"Yeah – a lot of dead generators and empty fuel drums" T-Dog answered. Shane flashed the flashlight at the fuel bar of that one working generator they were standing next to. The empty one. "It can't be down to this one." May sighed and turned around to walk away, but not before telling them: "Pack your stuff, we have to get out of here now." She looked at Kiba and he just followed her. She reached the control room in time to see the rest of the group, led by Janner enter it. "Whatta' you mean 'shuttin' itself down?' How can a buildin' do anythin'?" Daryl asked him enraged. Rick and the others that were in the generator room followed behind May. "Janner, what's happening?" Rick asked sharply.

"The computers are dropping all nonessential uses of power. It's designed to keep the computers running until the last possible second. It start's as we approach the half-hour mark. And here it is, right on time." He pointed to the clock on the wall. He then took a swing of whiskey. Everyone looked confused, expecting him to say something else. Daryl grabbed the bottle of whiskey from his hand.

"It was the French." Janner said, and they all gave him quizzing looks. "They were the last ones to hold out, as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicides in the hallways, they stayed in the labs, working till the very end. They thought they were close to a solution."

"What happened?"

"Same thing that's happening here. Their power-grid ran out of juice." He paused, and scoffed, as if he thought of something immensely amusing. "The world runs on fossil fuel, I mean, how stupid is that."

"Now you listen…" Shane grabbed Janner's shoulder.

"People, we have to leave now." May repeated. "Why?" Daryl asked. "A facility-wide decontamination means that the system will get rid of all living organism's from the facility. It could use poison gas, but it will most likely be fire or explosion, making sure everyone is dead and all the data is gone so nobody could steal it. We're going to fucking die, so let's go." She finished by giving Janner a poisonous look. Red lights started flashing and a loud alarm sounded. Vi's metallic voice broke through the air. "Thirty minutes to decontamination."

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**That's it for tonight. A new chapter coming as soon as tomorrow. Please review and tell me what you think about the chapter and the character development - i always welcome constructive criticism. :)**


	8. The Starting Line

**As promised, here's a new chapter :) This one will wrap up season one! Read, enjoy, review :)**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own the Walking Dead, but i do own May and Kiba.**

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**Chapter 8: The Starting Line**

"Everyone, listen to May, go get your stuff and we go, NOW!" Rick shouted, rushing them out. Janner pressed a button and the door leading to the hallway closed.

"Did you just lock us in? He just locked us in!" Glenn was starting to panic.

Janner sat at one of the work stations and started recording a video log. Daryl saw him and, as pissed off as he was, he ran at him with the intention to hurt him, at the least. "Shane! Shane!" Rick shouted, pointing at Daryl. He was furious and tried to get a hold of Janner all the while screaming: "You son of a bitch! You locked us in here!" Shane and T-Dog jumped at Daryl, pulling him back from the doctor, while May stood between the two of them. "Daryl, calm the fuck down!" The two of them let him go once he stopped resisting and left, leaving the two of them facing each other. Daryl was panting heavily and May locked their eyes, lightly shaking her head, trying to tell him wordlessly to drop it.

"Open that door NOW!" Rick screamed at Janner.

"There's no point, everything topside is locked, all the emergency exits are sealed off."

"Well open tha damn things!" Daryl said abrasively.

"I don't control that, the computers do. I told you, once that door closed it wouldn't open again, you heard me say it!" Janner said his voice resonating through the room, mixed in with the alarm. Kiba was getting nervous, the alarm was to loud for his sensitive canine ears. May hugged him and placed her hands over his ears, hoping to ease the pain he must have been feeling. "It's better this way." Janner added.

"Is what May said true?" Rick asked, his voice crackling with anger. "IS IT TRUE?!"

"You know what this place is! We have protected the public from very nasty STUFF! Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strains that could wipe out the entire country! Stuff you don't want getting out! EVER!" He took a deep breath. "In the event of a catastrophic power failure, a terrorist attack for example, HIT's are deployed to prevent any living organisms from leaving the facility."

"HIT's?"

"Vi, define."

"HIT – high impulse thermabaric fuel air explosives consist of a two faze aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. When the vacuum pressure ignites the oxygen between 5000 and 6000 degrees and causes greatest loss of life and greatest damage to structures."

"It set the air on fire." Janner said calmly.

They all started crying, gasping and shaking. Carol and Lorry hugged their children, all the men tensed up, while most women seemed as if they were about to cry. May walked up to Daryl and whispered: "You were right. We should leave this place, now. "

"An end to sorrow, to grief… to regret." she heard Janner say. "Everything."

Daryl looked at May and nodded before he smashed the bottle against the wall. "OPEN THE FUCKIN' DOOR!" Shane grabbed an emergency axe and started smashing it against the closed door. Daryl took one and joined him. _Who knew they could work together. _Karl and Sophia were both being hugged tightly by their mothers and were crying.

"You should have left well enough alone, it would have been so much easier." Janner said to the women. "Easier?! Easier for who?!" Lorry asked derisively. "All of you! You know what's out there, a short brutal life and an agonizing death. You- Your sister, what was her name?" he asked Andrea. "Amy" she answered shortly. "Amy. You know what this does… You've seen it. Is that really what you want for your wife and son?" he asked, looking up at Rick.

"I don't want this!" the sheriff answered sharply. Janner turned to Daryl and Shane. "Those doors are designed to withstand rocket launchers." Daryl suddenly turned around and headed for Janner. Rick, T-Dog and Dale held him back, but he would have hurt the doctor had May not stepped between them again. 'Daryl, don't.' she mouthed out wordlessly.

"You want this. Last night, you said that it was only a matter of time before everyone you loved was dead." Everyone looked at him with the same surprised, scared face. "What, you really said that? After all we've been through?" Shane asked accusingly.

"I had to keep hope alive, didn't i?!"

"There is no hope!" Janner said. "There never was."

"There is hope! Maybe not you, but somebody, somewhere…" Rick started, but was interrupted by Andrea. "What part of 'everything's gone' do you not understand?"

"Listen to your friend. She gets it. This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event." Now most of them were either despairing or sobbing. "This isn't right! You can't just keep us here!" Carol cried out, hugging Sophia tightly. "One tiny moment, a millisecond, no pain…".

"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this!" the woman kept crying. "Wouldn't it be kinder… more compassionate to just hold your loved ones and just wait for the clock to run down?"

"Rick…" May said, and alerted him just in time. Shane pointed a shotgun at Janner's head and Rick shouted "Shane!"

"Get out of my way, Rick! Get out of my way!".He said pushing Rick away. "Shane, brother, it's not how you wanna do this. We will never get out of here!" Lorry walked up behind her husband. "Shen, you listen to him." Daryl walked up behind the two men. "D'ya hear?" Rick was breathing heavily. "When he dies, we all.. WE ALL DIE!"Shane screamed out and shot at a couple of work stations. Most of the people ducked for cover and May felt Daryl pull her behind him. Rick, somehow, pried the gun from Shane's hands and knocked him to the ground. "You done now? You're done."

"Yeah. I guess we all are." They all seemed petrified and were looking at Rick for answers. Daryl turned to May to see if she was fine and gave her a slight, satisfied nod when he saw she was. The troublesome woman was always looking for trouble.

"I think you're lying." Rick said suddenly in a calm, assured voice. "What?" asked a confused Janner. "You're lying. About no hope. If that were true, you'd have bolted with the rest or taken the easy way out. You didn't. You chose the hard path. Why?"

"It doesn't matter…"

"You stayed when others ran. Why?"

"Not because I wanted to. I made a promise. To her. My wife." He was pointing at the, now black, big screen.

"Test subject 19 was your wife." Lorry said, still not fully grasping the realization.

"She begged me to keep going as long as I could. How could I say no?" Daryl started banging at the door again. "She was dying… It should have been me on that table. It wouldn't have mattered to anybody- SHE was a lost to the world! Hell, she ran this place, I ju- I just worked here! In our field she was and Einstein! Me, I'm just… Edwin Janner. She could have done something about this, not me." He seemed so broken it hurt May to watch. She knew how he felt.

"Your wife didn't have a choice." Rick said, facing Janner. "You do. That's all we want… A choice, a chance." Lorry was holding her son tight. "Let us keep trying as long as we can." she said in a pleading voice. Janner sighed and then walked away from Rick. "I told you, top side's locked down, I can't open those." He walked up to a work station and pressed a couple of buttons making the door Daryl was vandalizing open. "C'mon!" Everyone started running out, but Janner shook Rick's hand and whispered something in his ear. Lorry dragged Rick away as May walked up to Janner. "I'm sorry." she said to Janner who nodded with a small, emotionless smile.

"C'mon, we've only got four minutes left!" Glenn screamed at them. She nodded at the doctor and ran for Daryl's room. He was already out, holding her stuff along with his. She grabbed it and gave him grateful look, before she turned around to see commotion. Jacque didn't want to go.

"I'm not ending up like Jim and Amy." They all gave her broken looks. "There's no time to argue, not if you want to get out. Just get out…" she said, tears running down her face. T-Dog couldn't move and was just looking at her stunned, so Shane pulled him away.

"I'm staying too." Andrea said flatly. "Andrea, NO!" Dale protested, seeming desperate. They all stood there, waiting. "Just go!" Dale sent them off. May didn't want to leave so many people behind… It didn't feel right. Daryl put his hand around her waist and pulled her away before she gave in and started walking by herself. They reached the ground level and were all violently trying to open the doors or smash windows, Daryl and Shane swinging their axes at the impenetrable glass.

3 minutes left.

T-Dog was now trying to smash it with a chair. That wasn't working. Shane loaded the shotgun again and told him to move away. He shot a round at the glass, making only a small scratch. May grabbed a fire extinguisher and threw it forcefully ad the glass. Still nothing.

"Rick, I have something that might help." Carol said, searching around for something in her bag.

"I don't think a nail-file's gonna do it." Shane said smugly. "Oh, sure, be a dick!" May hissed at him, needing to let her anger out somewhere. Plus, he was really being a dick. He shot her a venomous glance.

"Your first morning in camp when I washed your uniform, I found this in your pocket." Carol said, ignoring Shane. She was holding a hand grenade. "Carol, you are awesome!" May told her, as they were taking cover. She put her hand tightly around Kiba, making sure he can't run off. Rick pulled the pin out and ran for cover screaming "SHIIIIT!" The grenade exploded and the glass shattered, giving them a way out.

They ran out through the glass and on to the geek infested drive-way. They ran for their vehicles, shooting the walkers or smashing their heads as they passed them. May didn't want to waste arrows so she went by Daryl's example and took the axe Shane discarded using it to smash open many a walker's head. As they reached Daryl's van, she let Kiba jump in first, getting in after him. Daryl started the van when she saw Dale and Andrea running out of the building. "We gotta go now!" he said, pulling the car out but it was too late. She saw Dale and Andrea duck behind a sand-bag barricade before Daryl's hand pulled her down. He put both his hands above her head and she put her hands around Kiba just as an immensely loud explosion ripped through the air and shook the ground. It seemed like it lasted for hours, the truck shaking uncontrollably. May heard Kiba whine softly and hugged him tighter. She looked at Daryl and they locked eyes.

Daryl had just pulled out the truck when he realized the building was about to explode. Instinctively, he pulled May down and tried to give her as much shelter as he could with his hands. He looked at her just as she turned to face him and she held his gaze, not letting go. Images of last night flashed through his mind, making him close his arms even more around her.

As it started dying down a bit (although that was an overstatement of the year) both Daryl and May lifted their heads to see that the CDC was no more. It was reduced to an oversized bonfire. She searched for Dale and Andrea and saw they were both alive. She turned to Daryl who was already looking at her. Their eyes locked and they both knew they barely made it out alive. She suddenly felt a tug in her stomach and an urge to kiss him washed over her.

The CDC was nothing more than a burning pile of rubble. Daryl felt his heart pounding in his ears. He turned to May to make sure she was unharmed and saw her looking at Dale and Andrea. She, then, turned to him and he held her gaze. They were alive. He wanted to pull her as close to him as possible and just get lost in her, he was so relieved she was still there. But he knew better than that; last night, she was drunk and feeling safe and she wanted to have fun. He knew there was no way she actually wanted anything with him – she was too good for him. He broke their gaze and coughed a bit. The RV, followed by the rest of the cars, pulled out and he put his hands on the wheel, putting the car in speed and following after them.

Daryl looked away, frowning slightly and May bit her lip, turning her head to the window, trying to hide the redness of her face. She decided to focus on wander where they will go next. She buried her hand in Kiba's soft fur and the dog quietly put his head in her lap, falling asleep. The caravan was on the road again. Jacque was dead. They were back outside, without shelter or protection, with little provisions and with no idea where to go to next. They were back on the starting line.

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**And that's it for today! I'll try and post a new chapter in a day or two, but in the mean time, enjoy this one and review! All criticism is good criticism!**


	9. The Barren Search

**The ninth chapter! Ok, now i have more chapters than reviews so i won't be uploading the tenth chapter until this is fixed. Review people, i'm lost without your guidance!**

**Also, something i don't think i've done yet and am profoundly ashamed about failing to do - i'd like to thank everyone who's following the story, everyone who's favorited it and, most of all, to everyone who's reviewed it. It's a pleasure writing for you guys :)**

**Bleeeep, thank you for being the story's 40th follower. :)**

**FanFicGirl10, lilnightmare17, writrgrrrl, thank you for all the reviews, i hope more will come as you're letting me know if i'm doing a good job. :)**

**Disclaimer:**

**I don't own the Walking Dead, but i do own May and Kiba.**

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**Chapter 9: The Barren Search**

"I found some here!" May said, siphoning gas from a fancy town car that was now dusty and abandoned in the middle of a street. She watched as the last of the fuel dripped out before she took the hose and the jerry can and headed for her next target. Kiba decided not to follow her – he didn't like the smell of fuel and was playing with Carl and Sophia. She smiled at them as she waited for the tank she was draining to empty out. They managed to siphon a lot of fuel and it was thanks to Kiba. As much as he didn't like the smell, when they'd stop somewhere he'd go around at bark a little at every car that had something in its tank – it was beyond useful.

After they left the burning CDC, they headed to Atlanta to refill their supplies to make sure they reached Fort Benning. May was certain they won't find anyone there, but went along with it anyway, not having a better option herself – for some reason 'go live in the woods' wasn't as appealing to everyone else as it was to her. She turned to the group and saw Daryl was taking her things from his truck. She thought it might be one of his 'I wanna be alone' things again and was ready to fight, when she saw him go around the truck and start unloading his bike. "Hey, what's going on?"

"We're leavin' tha truck. Uses up too much gas. I'll be ridin' tha bike." Daryl said, wiping the dust of the machine. "What about Kiba and me? Everywhere else is already too crowded and I don't see Kiba enjoying a bike ride." _And there is no way I'm leaving him behind _she added, in her head. "The mutt and yer bag can go with them." he said pointing at Rick and his family "You said ya wanted a bike ride, didn't ya?" her eyes lit up at the prospect. She turned on her heel and ran up to Rick and Lorry to see if Kiba could ride with them. The way Carl's entire face lit up when she said that, there was no way they could say 'no'. She stuffed her bag in, keeping the bow and her original quiver tied around her body. May was lucky enough to stab a head of a walker who had a full quiver attached to his back. Granted, prying it off was disgusting, but now she had twice as many arrows. She secured a knife to her belt and another one inside her boot.

Once Kiba was safely in the Grimes' car, May walked up to Daryl. She was wearing a hoody, seeing as how she was on the bike. Daryl handed her a helmet he found and she put it on. "Ya yap too much and yer off to the RV." he said, raising a threatening finger. She rolled her eyes under the helmet, but nodded anyway. They mounded the bike and led the caravan away from Atlanta.

As they were riding the roads of Georgia, Jun found herself admiring the natural beauty of the country more so than before. She wasn't sure if it was the open road, the fresh air or the fact that she wasn't feeling overheated for the first time since she got here, but it all seemed much more beautiful.

It's been a long time since Daryl had someone else on the bike with him. He felt May's hand around his waist and, to his surprise, he didn't mind. They've been driving for hours and the warmth of her body gave felt good against his back. At some point, she rested her head against his shoulder and he tried not to move it too much as to not disturb her. What he wasn't counting on was what came next – a road block. An entire stretch of highway was littered with abandoned cars, making it impossible for anyone but himself and May, who were on a bike, to pass through. He wandered around, trying to find a path for the rest of them.

"See a way through?" Dale called out of the RV. May saw Daryl jerk his head, motioning them to follow them. She took off the helmet, and placed it between Daryl and herself. Many cars covered the road as well as the fields around the road. The doors were gaping open and every car seemed ransacked through – they obviously weren't the first one to run in to this. The smell of death hovered over the entire area and soon, May realized it was from the many corpses residing in the cars. It seemed a lot like a graveyard. Daryl navigated them through it until a sharp, wheezing noise coming from the RV made them stop. She unmonuted the bike and headed for the smoking RV. The door opened slightly forcefully and an angry Dale walked out, followed by Shane, Glenn, Andrea and T-Dog.

"I said it! Didn't I say it? A thousand times, dead in the water…" Dale grumbled, going to the steaming front of the RV. "A problem, Dale?" Rick asked walking up to them, followed by the rest of the group. "Oh, just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of…" but his voice trailed off as he saw Daryl walk up to an open car and start picking through it. "Okay, that was dumb." Dale said to himself. "Can't we find a radiator hose here?" Shane asked pointing at the vast nothingness of the landscape, littered with abandoned vehicles. "There's a whole bunch o' stuff we can find." Daryl said, continuing to pick at the carcass of the car. "Siphon more fuel from these cars, for a start…" T-Dog said, getting to work. "Maybe some water?" Andrea added. "Or food." Glenn agreed.

"This is a graveyard." Lorry said in a firm voice. They all paused for a moment and gave her a look, unsure if they should carry on. "I'm not sure how I feel about this."

"Would you rather we starve to death? Or die of dehydration? Because, that's a gruesome way to go.. It's all abandoned. The owners are dead, but we're not. Let's try and keep it that way." May said simply, as Kiba sniffed around the cars, looking for fuel. "Alright, alright, let's go…" T-Dog said, following Kiba's nose. "C'mon y'all, gather what you can." Shane instructed the group.

They all spread out – Daryl, T-Dog and May followed Kiba around, the men siphoning fuel and May going through the car they were siphoning, looking for anything the group might find use for. She found some baggage with children's clothes, for both boys and girls. She rummaged through it and realized they would fit Carl and Sophia. She took the suitcase out and dragged it over to Lorry and Carol, who already had a big pile gathered. "Hey, you two!" she called out to the kids. "Got something for ya." She said, opening the bag. Both of them ran to it instantly. "Thank you, May." Carol said, gratefully. Lorry nodded in thanks. She smiled at the two women and went back to following Kiba. The next car she looked in didn't have any food, but she did find a couple of flannel shirts that would fit Daryl in someone's hand luggage. She took them out and stuffed the both of them in her backpack – if he won't have them, she will. She turned to the RV and saw Dale standing atop it, keeping a lookout.

Suddenly, Kiba started squirming around, whining and growling nervously. He ran up to May and stood in front of her protectively. She looked in the direction he was growling in and soon saw walker after walker shuffling their way. An entire herd of walkers was heading straight for them. _Shit! _She looked over to the group and saw Rick running between cars and shoving the kids, Carol and Lorry under them, before shuffling under one himself. She saw Glenn and Shane hadn't noticed the herd and she shot and arrow that lodged itself in front of Shane's feet. He turned around, saw the walkers and shoved Glenn and himself under a truck. She saw Daryl and T-Dog were both hiding behind cars so she crawled under one herself, pulling Kiba under there with her. She hugged the dog tightly and prayed he wouldn't make a sound.

A pair of seemingly alive feet shuffled by the car she was under and she saw blood dripping on the floor. She peered from under it and realized it was T-Dog whose arm was bleeding profusely. _Double shit!_ T-Dog fell to the ground and she saw a pair of grayish feet closing in on him. Without thinking about it she whispered a short "Stay" at Kiba before she lunged out, pulling the knife from her belt and stabbed the walker under the jaw. At the same time, Daryl grabbed it and stabbed it in the head. He seemed terrified to see her out in the open, and just showed her to the ground. She rolled back under the car. She saw him pull T-Dg in a lying position and place the walker on top of him, masking his scent. He, then, laid on the floor himself, pulling a corpse from the car May was under atop his body. She could practically touch him.

Suddenly, a group of walkers shuffled and grunted, walking by them, but didn't notice any of them. Daryl could see May under that car and, for the first time since he met her, he actually saw terror in her eyes. The heard seemed to have passed and he instantly shoved the dead body of himself, pulling the one of T-Dog as well. May crawled from under the car followed by her mutt and sneak up to them. The black man cut his hand pretty bad and was bleeding heavily. May turned to one of the many open trunks around them and pulled out the first, clean piece of clothing she found. She ripped it to stripes and started wrapping them tightly around T-Dog's arm. She lifted her gaze slightly and, when he looked in her golden eyes and realized the terror was gone, leaving no trace behind.

A high-pitched scream broke through the car park and May jerked her head up. She grabbed her bow and arrow and was ready to run out and fight when they both saw Sophia disappear behind the edge of the woods, followed by two walkers and, a second later, by Rick. "Meet you at the edge of the woods in half a minute. Bring Kiba." May said to Daryl before she bolted in Carol's direction. The walkers were all gone and most of the group came out from their shelter.

"Carol, I need something of Sophia's." May said as soon as reached the women. She was half hysterical and crying, as Lorry was holding her by the shoulders. Both women gasped when they saw her and May realized that she was covered in walker blood from when she stabbed that sucker that was trying to eat T-Dog. "I'm fine. Carol, I need something of hers now. Kiba can track her!" She was trying to stay calm, but she also knew that, the longer that little girl is alone in the wood, the less chance they had of finding her. Carol stumbled over to the car they were in and, with some effort, pulled out one of Sophia's shirts. "Please, find her…" she said through sobs. May didn't reply and, instead, just grabbed the shirt and ran for the woods. She found Daryl and Kiba waiting for her.

"You're not going." Daryl said, taking the shirt and blocking her way. "Daryl, I'm a ranger, this is what we do – we find people who get lost in woods." she replied, pointing out the obvious. "Besides, you can't stop me from going!" she added stubbornly, grabbing the shirt back and gesturing Kiba to follow her.

Daryl sighed, realizing he was never going to win this fight and he followed after her. The mutt sniffed the shirt and, in a matter of seconds, they found Sophia's tracks. "There." May pointed at a clump of smushed grass. Daryl froze, as he heard a sound behind them, and turned, pointing his crossbow in the direction. He saw a tip of an arrow in his peripheral vision and realize May was doing the same with her bow. After a moment, Rick stumbled out of a bush, surprised to see them. "C'mon." Daryl gestured, and the group started following the little girl's tracks. For some reason, Daryl felt it was important to find this girl. He didn't think it was right to leave her alone in the woods and he swore to himself that he will bring her back safely. When he saw that May was about as skilled a tracker as he was, he found he was glad he couldn't make her stay behind.

After a while of sneaking silently through the woods and following her tracks as well as Kiba's nose, they seemingly hit a dead end. "The tracks are gone." Rick said in a slightly defeated voice. "Nah… They're faint, they ain't gone." Daryl said, pointing at an uncharacteristically curved branch. "She came through 'ere." the hunter said, pointing at the ground. "How can you tell?" Rick asked, confusedly. "I don't see anything – just dirt, grass, trees…"

"You wanna lesson in trackin' or ya wanna find that girl an' get our ass off that interstate?" Daryl replied hostilely. May would have probably smiled at that, had she not been so worried about the poor little lost girl.

They've been tracking silently for over an hour, with Kiba sometimes running up to May and waiting for her to give him another sniff of Sophia's shirt, when a sudden ruffling in the bushes caused them all to drop to the ground, their weapons at the ready, expecting for something to attack. When nothing happened, Rick turned to the two of them pointed in the direction of the ruffle, and slowly sneaked that way, with Daryl, May and Kiba following him. They were on high ground and, below them, was a stumbling walker. Daryl signaled Rick to distract the walker while he gets him from behind, while he gave May a look that told her that if she moved, he might shoot her as well. The two men killed the hungry creature, and all four of them gathered around it's corpse. Daryl forcefully pulled his bolt from the geek's head, looking around the forest for signs of life. "Sophia!" he called out loudly. May shot him a venomous look for making so much noise, but said nothing. Rick was kneeling by the geek, inspecting his hands. "What're ya lookin' for?" the hunter asked.

"Skin under the fingernails." He rolled the geek over and opened its mouth. "It fed recently. There's flesh caught in its teeth." he added, pulling something out forcefully. The stench spread around the corpse making them all slightly dizzy. "What kind'a flesh?" Daryl asked. "Only one way to know for sure." Rick said, pulling out a knife. He cut open the geeks shirt and exposed a bloated, hairy belly. He was breathing heavily and was about to gut it, but Daryl stopped him. "Here… I'll do it." He reached for his belt, releasing his knife. "How many kills 'ave ya skinned and gutted in yer life anyway?" He pulled out his long, hunting knife. "Mine's sharper." May took a deep, calming breath – she didn't want to seem weak.

Daryl stood over the corpse and stabbed it in the top of its gut, pulling the knife down the length of its stomach. An even fowler smell started spreading from the geek and May had to focus all of her energy just to make sure she didn't vomit. Rick was breathing heavily and sweating, obviously feeling the same urge. Daryl repeated the process a couple of more times and soon, the belly of the beast was open and waiting to be explored. Daryl shoved his gloved hands in and started pulling out all the currently unimportant organs and throwing them out. "Yeah… The bastard had a big meal not long ago… I can feel it in there…" the hunter said, reaching his hand deep inside the creatures' body. He pulled out a rotting, black gut, dropping it on the floor. "Stand back, I got this." Rick said, cutting it open with his knife. The stench that came from there was the worst one yet. May couldn't hold herself back anymore and she stumbled away a bit, grabbing on to a tree before she threw up. She heard the two men behind her dig through the content of the organ, letting out disgusted noises and she threw up again.

"Tha bastard ate a woodchuck for lunch." she heard Daryl mutter, turning to see he was holding a little bird scull on the tip of his knife. It didn't eat Sophia. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she took a few steps their way, before she slumped to the ground. She notice Kiba had stayed at least 10 feet away at all times – the smell must have been so much worse for him. Daryl shook the little skull of his knife. "'T least we know…"

"At least we know." Rick agreed. Both men turned to May, as if checking if she was alright. She looked up at them, feeling embarrassed, and saw a walker closing in at an alarming speed. She grabbed the knife from her boot and threw it at the bastards head, hitting him between the eyes. They turned in time to see it slump to the ground. Rick went to check if it ate recently, while Daryl offered her a hand to help her get up. She saw all the gore and blood on it, smiled at him and got up without any help. He realized what was the problem and scoffed a little.

"This one hasn't eaten in days." Rick told them, leaving the dead body. "Anyway, it's getting dark, we should get back." They nodded and, led by Daryl, headed back to the group – without Sophia.

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**That's the end of chapter 9. I hope you enjoyed it, but i won't upload any more chapters until i get some reviews - i'd like to know what you think about the character development and, also, to know if anyone is out off character so i could correct it :) So, review! Peace!**


	10. Stars and Bells

**And here it is - chapter 10! And this is a long one! Hopefully, i managed to keep everyone in character, but if not, feel free to tell me! Read, enjoy and review :)**

**writergrrrl, i love your reviews! You always confirm that i managed to do what i wanted with the story and that means a LOT, so thank you! **

**WillowTheMischeifMaker, MAR76, thanks for commenting, i really hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well.**

**Disclaimer:**

**Sadly, i only own May and Kiba**

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**Chapter 10: Stars and Bells**

"It doesn't feel right, leaving her in the woods like this." May said, as the four of them were headed for the interstate. They've spent half a day looking for Sophia and the fact they hadn't found her made May feel like shit. "It's no use lookin' in the dark." Daryl answered simply. "I know… I just…" but she never finished her sentence.

"We're gonna have to make this a group effort – tomorrow, the two of you will each take a group and go look for her. Alright?" Rick said, still holding on to hope that they'll find the girl. Even in regular circumstances, May knew that a 12 year old girls' chances for surviving a night alone in the forest were slim. Add walkers to that equation and… _No, I'm not going there. We will find her._ "Yeah. We'll cover more ground that way." May agreed and Daryl just nodded.

"Oh, God, they're back!" Glenn's voice got her attention. They've reached the rest of the group all of them covered in mud, walker blood and gore – looking like they've just come back from war. The first person they saw was Carol. Her eyes counted their figures, realizing the cold truth.

"Y… You didn't find her?" she uttered, holding back the tears. "The trail went cold. We'll pick it up again first light." Rick said, trying to sound reassuring. Most of the group have gathered around, looking at the expectantly or looking at Carol with pity. Carol looked utterly broken. "You can't leave my daughter out there on her own, to spend the night alone in the woods." the woman said in a crying voice.

"Trackin' in dark's no good. We'd just be trippin' over ourselves, people could git lost." Daryl explained as softly as his growling voice would allow. "But she's only twelve. She can't be out there on her own…" the saddened mother's voice was becoming shakier and shakier. "You didn't find anything?"

"I know this is hard but I'm asking you not to panic." Rick said in his policeman voice. "We know she was out there." he continued, placing a hand on Carol's shoulder. "We tracked her for a while." Daryl added. "We have to make this an organized effort. Daryl and May know the woods better than anybody. I've asked them to oversee this." Rick started explaining to the group. Carol looked at Daryl and noticed blood on his pants.

"Is that blood?" she asked shakily. All three of them looked at Daryl's pants and then exchanged looks, realizing it was from the walker they gutted. "We took down a walker. But don't worry, there was no sign that he was anywhere near Sophia." Rick said urgently. "How can you know that?" Andrea asked. The two men exchanged looks, but said nothing for a moment.

"They gutted the bastard. Made sure… He never even touched her." May said, feeling that she needed to contribute something to the gutting. Carol started breathing heavily. She sat on the road fence and Lorry joined her, putting an arm around her. The grieving mother turned to Rick, the look in her eyes full of accusations. "How could you just leave her out there in the first place? How could you just leave her?!" Rick seemed broken by this. His voice started shaking. "There were two walkers on us… I.. I had to draw them off, it was her best chance."

"Sounds like he didn't have a choice, Carol." Shane said, taking a stand by Rick.

"How was she supposed to find the way back on her own? She's just a child." Carol said, now letting herself cry openly. Rick knelt in front of her, as if he was begging for mercy. "It was my only option… the only choice I could make…"

"I'm sure nobody doubts that." Shane spoke for Rick again.

"My little girl got left in the woods…" Carol sobbed as Lorry held her. May felt tears burn at her eyes but she thought how she doesn't have the right to cry – she was one of the people that didn't find Sophia.

She felt someone take her hand and saw it was Glenn, leading her away from the group. "You look like hell. C'mon, I'll help you clean up." He was leading her to a big truck and she was stunned to see it was filled with water cooler bottles – full of water! Glenn opened on and water came splashing down on her, warm from standing in the sun for God knows how long. She started rubbing at her face and arms, washing the caked blood off. She scrubbed her hair and skin more vigorously than ever, wanting to wash off the entire week of explosions, deaths, walkers and missing children. After a couple of minutes, thought, she was soaking wet but her skin, hair and clothes were blood free. She turned and gulped water until she wasn't thirsty anymore and then she just leaned against the truck. Glenn was standing there the entire time, making sure no walker snuck up. She looked at him gratefully. When she was finished, the night had completely come. Without the street lights, the only light they had was the moon and stars.

"I'm sure you did everything you could to find her." he said, as if reading her mind. "We really did, Glenn… But it wasn't enough. Tomorrow, we have to find her. She can't survive out there alone for too long." To stop herself from thinking further about it, she looked around cars before she found an empty bottle. As luck would have it, she actually found an unopened bottle of water.

The two of them headed back to the group, slowly. "You should put on some dry clothes." Glenn pointed out. "You're probably right…" she answered absently. They walked in silence for a while. "Hey… I know it's not the time for this but… you and Daryl?" She gave him a confused look before she started laughing, covering her mouth to muffle the sound. "You weren't that drunk, right?"

"Nope, I remember everything." her Korean friend replied with a smile. "Well… I don't know." May answered honestly. Before she could say anything else, Daryl came to her line of sight. "Glenn, I have to go and…" she started, pointing in his direction. "Go." Glenn said with a smile, before she could even finish the sentence. She smiled at him softly and went after Daryl.

"Hey, Dixon!" Daryl heard a familiar voice call out. He turned around and saw May, now clean and completely wet. The slightly loose camisole she was wearing was now clinging to her body and her long hair, heavy with water, stuck to her neck and arms. He waited for her to catch up before he continued walking. "I got you this." she said, handing him a bottle of water. He took it and nodded gratefully. They reached his bike and he started unpacking sleeping bag for the night. "What 'appened?" he asked her, pointing at her hair and clothes. "Ah… The end of the world." she answered with a smile, spreading her arms in surrender. He scoffed, zipping his bag up. "Anyway, I just wanted to give you the water so… I gotta go." she said, pointing at her wet clothes that were desperate for her to change them.

May was soon wearing a pair of jeans, a slightly baggy, olive, short sleeved t-shirt and a zip-up black hoody she found in one of the cars. She managed to add all the missing things to her wardrobe and was now sure she was prepared for any and all weather and situation – until winter. She spread he sleeping bag across the between a couple of tipped over cars for privacy and crawled in to it, Kiba curled up by her side and she hugged him, falling in to a restless sleep.

*WDWDWDWD*

May fluttered her eyes open, realizing it was still night. She tossed around in the sleeping bag, trying to get comfortable again and sleep, but soon decided it was useless. She was up. She decided to see who was on guard duty and how soon was it her turn. She climbed atop the RV and found Daryl sitting there, looking the other way. That meant her shift was next. "Ranger-girl."

"Hey Dixon. How'd you know it was me?" Instead of an answer, he just gave her a small grin. "Why ain't ya sleepin'?" he asked, as she sat by him. "Can't." she answered simply lying on her back so she faced the starry sky. "You should git some rest for tomorrow." Daryl said, looking around for any potential threat. When he was satisfied it was safe, he looked at her thin frame, and she shot him a slightly cocky look that reminded him of when he first met her in the woods. He scoffed and shook his head, returning to walker watch.

May lay there for a while, watching the stars, periodically seeing a shooting star fly by. She felt Daryl look at her from time to time and it gave her a tingling sensation in her stomach. It was, however, pushed aside by something much more important and urgent. "We'll find her, right?" she asked, looking at Daryl. He turned to her before replying. "You don't got the look on yer face the rest of 'em do."

"Good to know I'm not the only one who noticed it. What the hell is wrong with them?" she asked, pouting slightly, her eyebrows furrowing. "I dunno… We just started lookin'. It ain't the mountains o' Tibet, it's Georgia. She's probably in a farmhouse somewhere waitin' for us to find 'er."

"I know. God, she's only 12…" May sighed heavily. "I was younger than that when I got lost." Daryl said, more to himself. May gave him a questioning look. "Nine days, alone in the woods, eatin' berries and wipin' my ass with poison oak."

"Didn't anyone look for you?" May asked, her voice turning slightly more serious. "M' old man was off on tha bender with some waitress, Merle was servin' another sentence in juvie, didn' even know I was gone. I made m' way back, though. Went straight in to the kitchen, made m'self a sandwich. No worse for wear… 'Cept my ass, that was just sumthin' awful." May raised her eyebrows, but didn't laugh. "Nobody noticed you were gone for 9 days?" she asked softly, seeming shocked that could happen. He nodded slightly and she turned her gaze back to the sky. However, a small laugh escaped her lips. Daryl gave her a questioning look. "Poison oak." she said, laughing harder this time. Daryl let out a small chuckle himself before they both fell to silence. She felt her eyelids getting heavy."Daryl," she called out in a sleepy voice, "I'd notice if you were gone." she mumbled out and fell asleep.

Daryl felt a strong tug in his gut when the words left her lips. He glanced at her but she had fallen asleep. He took his jacket of and covered her with it. She shuffled to her side and curled in to a ball as soon as he covered her. He felt an uncharacteristic smile creep its way onto his face. Composing himself, he frowned it away. _She ain't for me. I didn't do nothing to deserve her. _

*WDWDWDWD*

"Everyone, grab a weapon." Rick said, spreading open a set of some seriously large knives and similar deadly items. "These aren't the kind of weapons we need. What about the guns?" Andrea asked derisively. "We've been over that – only Rick and I are carrying. We can't have people shooting around every time a tree pops out." Shane said, belting his gun. "It's not the trees I'm worried about…" Andrea gritted through her teeth.

"These are exactly the kind of weapons we should use – they can kill walkers quietly." May said in an end-of-discussion kind of voice. "The idea's we take the creek up 'bout five miles, turn around, come back down the other side." Daryl explained to everyone. "Chances are, she'll be by the creek – it's her only landmark." May added. "Be quiet, stay sharp, keep space between you but always stay within each other." Rick instructed, giving everyone a stern look.

May took Kiba aside, scratching him behind the ears. "It's not just us anymore, boy. We have to find her." She brought Sophia's shirt to his nose and he sniffed at it. Looking at Kiba, her life before the rise of the dead flashed through her mind. This was the first time she let herself think about it. She missed the snowy, untouched nature of Alaska. She missed drinking hot tea with Jake at the ranger station. She missed hunting in the woods with Kiba… and then her eyes fell on Daryl who was walking up to her and all of her thoughts were pushed away. "Ya ready t' go?"

"Yeah… You cover the area very close to the creek, I'll cover the area a bit deeper in the woods?"

"A'right. The mutt can be in b'tween."

"Good." Daryl walked up to her, offering her a hand. She looked at the hand, than at him and finally, took it. He hoisted her up and they headed for the group. They rejoined them in time to see a crying Andrea walk away from Dale angrily. He looked absolutely crushed. May gave Lorry a quizzing look and the skinny brunette just shook her head, her gaze falling to the ground.

Soon, everyone except for Dale and T-Dog who stayed there in case Sophia comes back was in the woods looking for the missing child. Carl somehow managed to convince his parents to let him join the search. May had to admit she liked the kid – he had lots of potential. An owl sound Daryl let out got he attention, a she saw him pointing at a tent. They found someone's camp site. Daryl and May motioned everyone to get down. "She could be in there." she heard Rick's voice. "It could be a whole bunch o' things in there." Daryl replied. _True that._ May thought. She, Daryl and Rick headed to the tent, a bow and arrow, a crossbow and a gun at a ready. Shane followed closely behind them. Daryl took out his knife and May did the same, both of them sneaking up to the tent. He gave her a look that said 'get the hell back' but she just glared back at him, letting him know she's not backing down. They circled around the tent, but couldn't see inside. Daryl signaled Rick, and the policeman called Carol over.

"Call out softly, if she's in there, yours is the first voice she should hear." he whispered to the slightly shivering woman. "Sophia, sweety… Are you in there? Sophia, it's mommy. Sophia! We're all here baby, it's mommy." there was no answer. Rick and Shane exchanged glances before joining May and Daryl by the tent. Daryl gently unzipped the tent entrance and when he pushed back the fabric, the smell of rotting flesh made them all pull back a bit. The hunter crawled in the tent and May feared he might suffocate, as the smell was making all four of them cough and gag.

"Daryl? Daryl?" Carol called out. A moment later, Daryl stepped out, taking a deep breath. "It ain't her."

"Who's in there?" Andrea asked, walking up to them. "Some guy, just like Janner said, opted out. Ain't that what 'e called it?" Daryl answered, giving her a somewhat provokingly. Before anyone said anything else, a loud bell sounded out from somewhere in the woods. May and Daryl exchanged glances before the started running in the direction of the ringing. They came in to a slight clearing and stopped, trying to find the source. "What direction?" Shane asked. "I think it's that way…" Rick said, pointing to far west. "No, Rick, it's that way." May said, heading for the source. "You sure? It's hard to tell here." Shane asked. "I'm sure." she replied confidently.

"If we hear it, maybe Sophia does too." Carol said hopefully. "Someone's ringing those bells, maybe calling the others." Glenn said, cautiously. "Maybe they found her?" Andre offered. "She could be ringing them herself." Rick said as May upped her pace to running, followed by the rest of the group.

After about an hour of running through the woods, the group came across an opening. They were on the edge of a cemetery, a church on the other side. "It ain't it. It's got no steeple, no bells." Shane said. Regardless, they all ran for the church as if their lives depended on it. The slowed down at the entrance, pulling out their weapons. Kiba started growling at the door. "Walkers." May said grimly. Rick shushed them all and he and Daryl pushed the church doors open. Inside, four figures were sitting, as if they were praying. They took a step in when the figures started snorting out growling noises and slowly faced them. They were walkers.

Lorry handed Rick a knife. Darryl hung his crossbow on his shoulder and took a hatchet from Glenn. May hung her bow around her torso and pulled out her hunting knife. Glenn handed Shane a machete. The four of them entered the church, each of them attacking one of the walkers. Rick and Shane slashed at their heads and continued bashing them angrily, even after they were dead. Daryl took the bastard out in one swift hit in the head, while May simply walked up to the walker, kicked him in the stomach making him fall to the ground and stabbed him in the eye. Rick delivered his last blow and the church was so silent May could hear his shaky breaths from across the room. The rest of the group slowly spilled inside. "Sophia!" Rick shouted out maniacally. May saw Daryl walk up the cross with a crucified Jesus on it. "Yo, J.C. you takin' requests?" he asked angrily before leaving the church. She scoffed humorlessly.

"I'm telling you it's the wrong church, it's got no steeple Rick, it's got no steeple." Shane said nervously. The ringing sounded out again and all of them ran out to find the source. On the back wall of the church, they found an electronic bell. Glenn jumped at it and turned it off. "Timer… It's on a timer." Daryl said, pointing at the speaker. "I'm gonna go back in for a bit." Carol said in a shaky voice, walking back inside followed by a couple of more people. May saw Andrea walk away and sit on the flour, leaning against the church wall. She walked up to the blond and sat beside her.

"So, what's up with you?" she asked, cutting straight to the point. Andrea gave her an appraising look before answering. "I was denied the right to make a choice." she said in a slightly melodramatic voice. "And now they won't give me my gun back, just because I'm a woman. I can fight as well as them." May fought the urge to roll her eyes at the woman. Before she had a chance to say anything, Lorry's voice reached them.

"Are you leaving?" she asked someone.

"Don't you think that's best for all of us?" Shane asked in reply.

"I think it is. What made you decide?"

"I gotta back away. I'm just trying to be a good guy here Lorry, even if you don't see it. None of this was intended, I hope you know that. Don't matter, as long as I said it."

"You're just gonna disappear? You're not gonna tell Rick…" there was urgency in her voice.

"You don't even try to stop me. Now that's on you! You can tell him what you want, or nothing at all. You're his wife…" Shane was getting angry.

"And Carl? We dragged him in to this." Lorry's voice was low and shaky.

"I love Carl."

"He thinks you hate him."

"I'm trying to put some distance, I'm trying to make this easier… This ain't easy on any of us, least of all me. I'm the one who loses you." May tried to sneak away without being noticed. She didn't want to hear this and was more than willing to forget it if it meant she wouldn't get dragged in to it any deeper. She didn't count on Shane going their way. He saw the both of them and gave May a look of pure hatred and at that moment, she was certain he wouldn't mind hurting her.

* * *

**And we've reached the end of this chapter as well. I hope you liked it and i'll post another one in a day or two. Reviews are welcome! Peace!**


	11. Blood and Fear

**Hello darlings :) Here's a new , May and Darryl are gonna be separated for a chapter or two. I thought it might mix things up a bit, give them a chance to figure out what they feel. Anyway, tell me your thoughts. Leave a couple of reviews, and the next chapter's coming :)**

**Disclaimer:**

**I only own May and Kiba**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Blood and Fear**

May kept her poker face on and walked away without saying anything and without sparing him another glance. She found the rest of the group in front of the church, including Daryl and Kiba, who disappeared for a while. The dog started wagging his tail enthusiastically when he saw her and ran up to her, raising his paws to her shoulders. He truly was a terrifyingly big dog. She hugged him and scratched behind the ears and he was back on all fours, following her loyally around. She saw Rick about twenty feet uphill. Shane walked up to him and they seemed to be discussing something important. He, then, walked up to the group.

"Ya'll follow the creek back. Okay, Daryl, you're in charge, me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so, just be thorough."

"Yer splittin' us up? You sure?" Daryl asked suspiciously. "Yeah, we'll catch up to you."

"I wanna stay too." Carl said, stepping out from behind his mother. "I'm her friend." He seemed determined not to take 'no' for an answer. Rick and Shane exchanged glances, both of them smirking slightly. Lorry looked at them and then walked up to her son. "Just be careful, okay?" she said, ruffling his hair. "When did you start growing up?" Rick took out his gun. "Here, take this. Remember how to use it?" he asked, offering it to her. "I'm not taking your gun and leaving you unarmed." Daryl walked up, pulling a gun from the back of his belt. "Here, I got a spare. Take it." He handed it to Lorry. Lorry took the gun, and Rick nodded at Daryl gratefully. May saw Andrea sigh angrily in the background.

The group was ready to leave when Rick said: "May, I'm sorry to ask this, but would you come with us? You're an experienced tracker." He looked her straight in the eyes and she knew there was no way to turn it down – Shane or no Shane. Daryl frowned at this, but said nothing. "Yeah, sure Rick." May replied, walking up to the three of them. She knelt by her dog's side and buried her hand in his fur. "Kiba, go with Daryl, be good and listen to him. See you guys back at the interstate." she said, waving to the rest of the group. She looked at Daryl, but he was looking away, seeming agitated, giving her a tugging feeling in the pit of her stomach. They went their ways and, when May turned back to glance at the rest of the group, she saw Daryl had also turned, looking at her. She smiled to herself, catching up to the others.

"Give me a minute?" Rick asked them when they passed the church doors. "Sure." Shane said. He ruffled Carl's hair and the boy smiled at him. May walked a few feet away and sat under a tree, taking in deep, steady breaths. She decided to ignore Shane and let them sort out their issues. He shot her a couple of nasty glances, but said nothing, and she sat there in silence until Rick came back and they were off on their way.

They walked around the forest for a while, May leading the way, scanning the ground for footprints. Suddenly, she heard a noise to their left and jerked her arm up, signaling them to get down and shut up. The slow patter of hooves became coherent and soon, she saw a stag through the branches. They started sneaking up to it and reached a small clearing. They stopped there and, to everyone's surprise, the deer just walked right out and faced them. May, who already had her bow and arrow ready, completely forgot about them, letting them hang limply from her hands. Shane was ready to shoot it, but Rick stopped him. He pointed at Carl and both Shane and May saw the bay walking up to the deer. He slowly covered the distance between them, periodically turning to them for support. The deer had now noticed him, but didn't run. To May, it seemed surreal; like a scene from a fairy tale. Carl was practically within hand reach of the deer when a lout shot sounded out, sending both the deer and Carl to the ground.

*WDWDWDWD*

Somewhere in the distance, Daryl heard the familiar sound people always dreaded – he heard a gunshot sounding out. One, single gunshot. He felt a stabbing sensation in his gut. Something was wrong. _I knew I shouldn't 'ave let 'er go with them. _What if she was hurt? Kiba raised his ears, turning them towards the sound.

"That was a gunshot." Lorry said, not moving. "We all heard it." Daryl answered. "Why one? Why just one gunshot?" she asked, panic slowly rising in her voice. "Maybe they took down a walker." Daryl said, not believing it himself. "Oh, please don't patronize me, you know Rick wouldn't rick a gunshot to kill one walker. Or Shane. And definitely not May. They'd do it quietly." Daryl knew that was true. "Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol asked. "There's nothin' we can do 'bout it anyway." he said in a dismissive tone, trying to shake off the rising feeling of dread. "We can't run around these woods chasin' echoes."

"So what do we do?" Lorry asked sharply. "Same as we did, beat the bush for Sophia and make our way back to the highway." the hunter answered in a no-nonsense tone. "I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the RV." Andrea said reassuringly and they were, once again, under way.

"I'm sorry for what you're going through. I know how you feel…" he heard Andrea say to Carol. "I suppose you do… Thank you. The thought of her out here, by herself… It's the not knowing that's killing me. I just keep hoping and praying she doesn't wind up like Amy." As soon as the words left Carol's mouth, you could see she regretted it. "Oh God… That's the worst thing I ever said." Andrea sighed. "We're all hoping and praying with you. For what it's worth."

"I'll tell you what it's worth – not a damn thing! It's a waste of time, all this hopin' and prayin'. We're gonna locate that little girl an' she's gonna be just fine." Daryl said in a stern, assured voice. "Am I the only one zen around here? Good lord…" He then turned, and led them on their way back to the highway. _You better be safe, ranger-girl._

*WDWDWDWD*

There was a burning sensation in her legs. They'd been running for almost half an hour now at an incredibly fast pace, fueled by adrenalin. Rick was just a couple of feet ahead of her, holding Carl in his arms. Following them were Shane and a fat hunter that lived on a nearby farm. He told them they had a doctor. From time to time, May would see a red glisten in the grass meaning only one thing – Carl was bleeding profusely.

"You move, shithead!" Shane screamed at the fat man, pulling him along. "C'mon, get us there!"

"How far?! How far?!" Rick asked in a fiery voice. "Just there… go that way. Talk to Hershel… he'll help your boy…." the man uttered through gasps. May found his footprints from when he was going to the woods. "Rick, c'mon!" she called out, running along a path only her eyes could see. After a couple of minutes, a big farmhouse came to their sight. They kept running like they were being chased by death.

May saw a figure on the porch of the house. It was a girl, just a couple of years younger than herself. She turned around and called for someone. When they finally reached the house, her lungs were burning and she stumbled a bit, looking up to see a grey haired man surrounded by two girls, a woman and a teenage boy holding a baseball bat. "Was he bit?" the grey-haired man who must be Hershel called out. Rick was gasping for air and barely holding on to Carl. "Shot. By your man…" May uttered, gasping for air herself. "Otis?" the woman asked. "He said 'find Hershel', is that you? Help him… Help save my boy!" Rick was hysterical. Hershel led them in to the house, calling for the woman – Patricia – to bring him his medical tools and for the girl on the porch – Maggie – to bring him medicine for Carl. "Beth, get me clean towels, sheets, bedspreads, whatever!" he asked the younger, blond girl.

Rick placed Carl on the bed and kept asking "Is he alive?" as if he wasn't aware of his surroundings. May, as instructed by Hershel, was talking pillowcases of the pillows and was folding them to make pads. He instructed Rick to put pressure on Carl's wound, taking a stethoscope, and looking for a heartbeat. "I got a heartbeat. It's faint…"

"I got it from here, step back." Patricia rushed Rick and May away. "We're gonna need some space." Maggie said gently, letting them pass through the door. Rick didn't move. "What's your name?" Hershel asked loudly, trying to break through Rick's hypnotized state. "It-i-i-it's R-Rick." the policeman barely answered. "Well, Rick, we're gonna do everything we can for your boy. Now please step out and let us work." When Rick still didn't move, May took his hand and gently led him out. They saw Shane and Otis run up the house, Shane shouting at Otis the entire time. They left the house just as the two men reached the entrance.

"Is he alive? Is he still alive?" Otis asked panickedly. Rick wiped of the sweat from his forehead with his hand, smudging Carl's blood all over his face. He was mumbling something incoherently as Shane took a rag out of his backpack and started wiping Rick's face. He gave May a questioning look, all of their animosities forgotten for a moment. She nodded, letting him know that Carl is still alive. The led Rick back in to the house and headed back to where Carl was.

"You know your son's blood type?" Hershel asked as soon as they walked in. "A+, same as mine." Rick answered in a shaky voice. "That's fortunate. Don't wander far, I'll need you." Hershel said. "I'm O-, I'm a universal donor." May pointed out. "Good. We'll need as much as possible. What happened?" he asked, turning to Otis. "I was… tracking a buck… Bullet went through it. Went clean through…" his voice trailed off weakly. "Well, it slowed the bullet down. The buck saved his life. But it did not go through clean. It broke up in to pieces. I should get the bullet fragments out. I see six."

"I never saw him, I…" Otis was convincing Patricia in a shaky voice. "Lorry doesn't know." Rick said suddenly. "My wife doesn't know… My wife doesn't know…." Rick cried as Shane hugged him. "I'll go get her, Rick." May said in a forced calm voice, picking her things off the floor. "You're not going anywhere, you have to be ready to give your blood at any time." May sighed and they all left the room. Rick and Shane sat in the living room and May left them alone, thinking how Rick must want to worry with his best friend. She sat on the porch and tried calming down by looking at the sky. She heard Maggie call for Rick and she jumped to her feet, practically running to Carl's room.

Shane was holding the screaming Carl down, as Hershel dug into his flesh, digging for bullet fragments. "Stop, you're killing him!" Rick screamed at him while Patricia was prepping him for a transfusion. "Damn it, Rick, do you want him to live?" Hershel asked sharply. Carl passed out from too much pain as Patricia stuck a needle in Rick's arm. Shane started panicking. "He just passed out – it's better this way." Hershel said calmly. He pulled out a chunk of metal from Carl's belly and dropped it in a metal bowl. "One down – five to go."

After a while, Hershel took Carl's pressure, concluding he was stable for now. They unhooked Rick from the transfusion – just in time, too, May thought, as he was getting pretty green in the face. "Lorry needs to be here. She doesn't even know what's going on, I gotta… I gotta find her, bring her here…" Rick said, stumbling as he got up. "You can't do that." Hershel repeated calmly. "She's his mother! She needs to know what happened, her son is lying here – shot!" Rick said more desperately. "The boy's going to need more blood. Neither of you two can go more than fifty feet from this bed." Hershel said to Shane who nodded in understanding.

"Hey, hey… C'mon…" Shane said, helping Rick up. "I'm alright, I'm alright…" the policeman said, leaving the room. They followed him out and found Maggie and Otis waiting there. They said nothing, but it was obvious they were expecting news. "He's stable, for now…" May said, quietly.

"Lorry has to be here, Shane, she has to know." Rick said once again to his best friend. "Okay. I get that. I'm gonna handle it. But you gotta handle your end." Rick looked at him confusedly. "M-My end?"

"Your end is being here for your son. Even if he didn't need your blood to survive, there's no way I'd ever let you walk out that door man, I-… I'd break your legs if you tried, you know that, right? What if something happened to him and you weren't here?" Shane said, seemingly earnest. Rick buried his face in his hands, slightly shaking from worry and exhaustion. "If he slipped away while you were gone, you would never forgive yourself for that. And neither would Lorry man."

"He's right, Rick…" May said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. She felt his entire body shiver slightly before he composed himself and looked at them. "You're right…" he said, nodding his head as if trying to convince himself of what he said. "When was I ever wrong?" Shane asked in a slightly lighter voice. A nervous smile escaped his lips. "You know when… When you were in that hospital, the one you were never supposed to leave, man… You should've seen Lorry. I mean… There's strength in that woman. Man, you can't imagine it. See, that's what you gotta have now. Carl needs that from you. So you hang tight, man. You got the hard part, but leave the rest to me." Shane said, hugging Rick. Rick nodded in agreement just as Hershel left Carl's room.

"He's out of the danger for a moment, but I need to get the rest of those fragments." Rick faced him. "How? You saw how he was…" he said in a weak voice. "I know, and that was the shallowest one. I need to go deeper to get the others." They all sighed heavily. "There's more: his belly is hard, he's pressure is dropping which means…"

"Internal bleeding." May realized, wide-eyed in her terror. Hershel nodded. "A fragment must have opened one of the vessels. I have to open him and find the bleeder and stitch it. And he can't move while I'm in there and I mean at all. If he acts like before, I'll accidently sever an artery and he'll die in minutes. To even try this, I have to put him under, but if a do, he won't be able to breathe on his own – same bad results."

"What will it take?" Rick asked weakly. "A respirator…" May said, rubbing her forehead with the bottoms of her palms. "What else?" Otis asked, leaving his chair. "The tube that goes with it, extra surgical supplies, drapes, sutures…" Hershel started listing. "If you had all that you could save him?" Rick asked, fighting to stay composed. "If I had all that I could try." Hershel corrected him.

"The nearest hospital went up in flames a month ago." Otis said. "Usually, schools have ventilators and suture kits in case of emergency." May said hopefully looking at them. "The high school!" Otis said suddenly. "That's what I was thinking." Hershel agreed, nodding at May approvingly. "They set up a shelter there, they would have everything we need."

"But the place was overrun the last time I saw it, you couldn't get near it. Maybe it's better now…" Otis said uncertainly. "I said leave the rest to me – hard to take that back now." Shane said half jokingly. "I hate you going alone…" Rick replied. "C'mon… Doc, why don't you give me a list, draw me a map…" But Otis stopped him. "You won't need a map – I'll take you there." His wife was at the door. "Otis, no!" she said in a stern voice. "Honey, we don't have time for this. I'm responsible and I ain't sitting back and letting this fellow do this on his own." she gave him a scared look. "I'll be alright."

"Are you sure about this?" Shane asked the man. "Do you even know what half of the stuff he's talking about looks like?" Otis asked earnestly. "To tell you the truth, no…" Shane replied. "I've been a volunteer EMT, I know. Look, we can talk about this till next Sunday or we can just go do it real quick." he said, turning to Shane. "I say we do it real quick." Rick looked at Otis. "I should thank you." he said in a stern voice. "Wait till that boy of yours is up and around." he said, and he an Shane left the room to pack up.

"Where is she? Your wife?" Maggie asked suddenly.

*WDWDWDWD*

"It's not gonna be light for too long. I think we should call it…" Daryl said, looking at the slowly setting sun. "Let's head back, we'll pick it up again tomorrow. Yeah, we'll find her tomorrow." Lorry said assuredly. They'd been looking for Sophia for a couple of hours now and the rest of the group hadn't joined them yet. Daryl found himself wanting to go against his head and try and find them. Well, if he was honest with himself, he wanted to go and find her. Still, he signaled them all to follow him, and headed for the highway. Kiba pushed his head against Daryl's hand and he scratched the dog, absently.

"Hey, she's alright? May, I mean." he suddenly heard Glenn ask him quietly. He shot him a look and saw worry on the Korean's face, reflecting how he felt as well. "She's tha toughest woman I know…" he muttered in reply, but sad nothing else. They continued walking in silence and Daryl did everything he could to try and appease the boiling feeling in his stomach.

They've been stumbling through the woods for a while when Daryl realized he couldn't see Andrea. A terrified woman's scream broke through the woods. They ran to her aid but, before they reached her a girl on a horse emerged from the woods and smashed the head of a geek attacking Andrea with a baseball bat.

"Whoa!" she said, stopping the horse and putting her bat away."Lorry? Lorry Grimes?" she asked, searching through the group. "I'm Lorry." The brunette said, seeping forward. "Rick sent me, you gotta come now." the girl on horseback said urgently. "What?" Lorry asked, confused like the rest of them. "There's been an accident, Carl's been shot. He's still alive, but you gotta come now." she repeated, waiting. Lorry was frozen in place. "Rick needs you! Come on!" the girl shouted, snapping Lorry out of it. She dropped her backpack and headed for the horse.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, we don't know this girl! You can't git on that horse!" Daryl said suddenly, feeling responsible for everyone around him. The girl on the horse ignored him. "Rick said you had others on the highway? On that big traffic block?" she asked, turning to Glenn. The Asian man nodded. "Backtrack to Frewin's road, two miles down is our farm, you'll see the mailbox. The name's Greene." And with that, she rode off in to the woods. The walker she knocked down rose again, snarling. "Shut up." Daryl said nervously, logging a bolt in its continued on their way, Daryl feeling even more uneasy then before. He thought that, if anyone's gonna come and get them, it'll be May. _Where the hell are you, woman?_

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**That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed it and will review. Peace!  
**


	12. The Longest Night

**Here's chpter 12! Okay, i'm weak, i can't wait to upload new chapters. :) So, i have a question you guys should answer in your reviews - should Daryl and May hook up before or after he gets thrown of the horse? I was thinking before, but what are your thoughts? Review and let me know :)**

**writtergrrrl, MAR76, i'm glad you're still enjoying the storry :)**

**Disclaimer:**

**I own only May and Kiba**

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**Chapter 12: The Longest Night**

May was sitting on the porch, a little way's down from Hershel and Rick. The two men were talking, but she wasn't listening to them. She kept looking in the distance, waiting for Maggie to return with Lorry. She didn't like that the group was split up and she didn't like not knowing what was happening with the others. _Daryl's the toughest one of us… He's fine. _she tried reassuring herself. Then the pitter-patter of hooves got her attention and she saw Maggie riding back to the farm with a passenger – Lorry. Rick ran up to his wife and they embraced, both of them crying inconsolably. Rick took her up to see Carl and May decided to give them some privacy.

"May?" Patricia called, about half an hour later. "Carl needs another transfusion and Rick really shouldn't give anymore blood." May nodded and went up to Carl's room. Both Lorry and Rick were sitting there, looking worried. In a matter of minutes, she was hooked to Carl and giving him her blood. It seemed as if Rick gave blood again, he seemed paler than before. He gave May a grateful look, and she squeezed his hand with her free one, assuring him it was no problem. Lorry mouthed out a silent 'thank you' before she led her shaky husband away to rest. Soon, May was left alone with Carl.

She squeezed at a tiny, foam ball to make the transfusion smoother. Carl seemed so fragile, so hurt right now, she decided she wasn't calling for them to unhook her until someone came themselves. "Hey, kid… Look, I know we haven't exactly talked much, but I know Kiba will be very sad if something happens to you. Not to mention your parents. So… C'mon, fight this shit, you're stronger than this."

*WDWDWDWD*

"I won't do it… We can't just leave." Carol said in a weeping voice. "Carol, the group is split. We're scattered and weak." Dale tried reasoning with her. "What if she comes back and we're not here?" the mother asked angrily. "If Sophia found her way back and we were gone, that would be awful." Andrea agreed. They all turned to Daryl. The hunter crossed his arms nodding.

"Okay. We got a plan for this. I say tomorrow morning we put a big sign here, leave her some supplies. I'll hold here tonight, stay with the RV." He said the word's he hoped he wouldn't have to. He had no idea how May was doing, or if she was even alive. The girl only mentioned Rick. But someone had to stay there and it had to be him – he was the only one who could really defend himself. "If the RV is staying, I am too." Dale said calmly. "Thank you… Thank you both…" Carol said, the weepy tone never leaving her voice. "I'm in." Andrea said, raising her hand lightly. "Well if you're all staying, then I'm…" Glenn started, but was cut off by Dale. "Not you Glenn, you take Carol's Cherokee" Dale said, pointing at Carol.

"Me? Why is it always me…" he started again, but was cut off just the same. "You have to find this farm, reconnect with our people and see what's going on, but most importantly, you have to get T-Dog there. This is not an option. That cut has gone from bad to worse; he has a very serious blood infection. He will die without antibiotics." Dale finished sternly. Daryl frowned at them and headed for Merle's bike. He rummaged around the bag for a while before he found what he was looking for. He saw Dale's rag on the bike and took it angrily, throwing it back to Dale.

"Get your oily rags of my bortha's motorcycle. Why'd you wait till now to say anythin', I got Merle's stash." he said, presenting a plastic bag full of drugs. "Crystal, Ex… don't need that… Got some kick-ass painkillers." he said throwing a bottle of pills to Glenn. "Doxycycline. Not the generic stuff neither, first class. Merle got the clap on occasion." he finished casually, before walking away.

Daryl started feeling like a caged animal and he didn't like it. He wanted to jump on his bike and ride off to the farm. Knowing that wasn't an option, he kicked an open car out of frustration when he heard Glenn walking up to him. "Hey, umm…. You want me to tell her anything?" he asked carefully. Daryl looked at him, not knowing what to say for a moment. "Just make sure she's okay."

*WDWDWDWD*

"Pressure's dropping again." Hershel said, taking his stethoscope off. "We can't wait much longer." Both May and Rick jumped to their feet. They were both very pale and their faces had a greenish hue. Both of them had given blood to Carl twice already. "Take some more, here, whatever you need and then I'm gonna go." Rick said, offering his arm. "Go? Go where?" Lorry asked suddenly. "He said five miles. They should be long back by now, something's gone wrong." Lorry's eyes widened. "Are you insane? You're not going after them." she said sharply. "Rick, listen to your wife." Hershel said. "Look, I gotta…" he tried, but was cut off. "You're in no condition to do anything about it." Hershel said sternly.

"Rick, you've given too much blood. You're a policeman, you know you shouldn't go out in that condition. Lorry's right. But if you do decide to go, I'm coming with you." May said reassuringly. He shouldn't leave, but if he does, she's not letting him go alone. "If anything goes wrong, I…." Rick stuttered again. "No! Your place is here. If Shane said he'd be back, he'll be back, he's like you that way." May suddenly felt sick and ran out in to the bathroom. She threw up as soon as she closed the door. Straightening up, she flushed, washed her face in the sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror. He hair was messy, she was pale and had dark circles around her eyes and she lost some weight. Tying her hair in a messy bun, she sighed and left the bathroom.

"Are you alright?" Hershel asked her when she came back. "Yeah, I'm fine. Does Carl need more blood?" she asked, ready to give more if it was necessary. "You've already given to much, both of you. We just have to hope they'll get here soon." Hershel answered. "I promise you, I'm fine. If he needs blood, we should give it to him." May said, taking a seat at the donor chair. Hershel gave her a frown, but Carl did need blood, so he set up the transfusion. May leaned her head against the back of the chair and closed her eyes. Rick and Lorry were talking, but their voices were muffled and fuzzy in her head. They were getting quieter and quieter before she finally fell asleep.

*WDWDWDWD*

Daryl was lying in the RV, trying to sleep. He heard Carol sobbing softly from her bed. Kiba sat up and looked at him with purpose. The hunter got up, took his crossbow and a flashlight and headed for the RV door. He looked at Carol and nodded at her reassuringly, before he let the RV.

"I'm goin' for a walk, shine some light in the forest. If she's out there, she'll 'ave somethin' to look at." Daryl said to Dale, who was on guard duty. "Are you sure that's a good idea right now?" Dale asked concernedly. "I'll be back soon." Daryl said, leaving to the forest closely followed by Kiba. They walked through the forest for an hour. Slowly, they were getting used to working together. Kiba was already perfectly trained and had started trusting Daryl and his instincts and Daryl found it felt good having the dog around. However, it was obvious Kiba was missing May. Daryl patted him on the head, as if to let him know he feels the same way. Hopefully, by morning, he'll know if she was alright.

*WDWDWDWD*

May opened her eyes and found she was in a strange room, in a bed. She slowly sat up and placed her bare feet on the wooden floor. She realized she must have fallen asleep and they took her to another room. Her head was spinning and she felt very drowsy as she struggled with pulling her boots on. She shakily stumbled out of the room and went downstairs, looking for people to find out what was going on. She reached the front door just as Maggie led Glenn and T-Dog in.

"What happened?!" Glenn asked, running up to her and grabbing her hand, offering support. "Carl got shot." she said, surprised they didn't know. "I know. What happened to you, you look half-dead?" he asked, afraid she might fall if he exhaled harder. "She gave Carl three blood transfusions and passed out. You shouldn't be walking around, you should rest." Maggie said, giving May a slightly motherly frown. "Don't worry, Maggie, I'm fine. C'mon, let's go see how Carl's doing." May said, letting Maggie lead them to Carl's room.

Glenn and T-Dog must have not expected for Carl to be this bad, because they lost all words at the sight. Glenn took his cap of, scratching his head nervously. "Hey…" he said shakily. "Hey." Rick replied. He looked only slightly better than May. "We're here, okay…" Glenn stuttered out quietly. "Thank you." Lorry replied. "Whatever you need." T-Dog said weakly. They left the room, giving the family privacy. Maggie took them to the kitchen and gave May a glass of orange juice and stood there looking at her before she drank it. Then she gave Glenn and May a big bowl of soup full of chicken meat and vegetables each. May was sure she'd never eaten anything this good in her life – although, it might have just been the blood loss. They all took T-Dog to Patricia. Maggie held his hand down while Patricia cleaned and sewed up the wound.

"You got here right on time. If this wasn't treated much longer…" Patricia trailed of, pulling the needle and thread through his skin. She looked at the medicine bottles. "Merle Dixon… Is that your friend with the antibiotics?" she asked, eyeing Glenn and May. "No, mam. Merle's no longer with us. Daryl gave us those… His brother." Glenn answered and May's head slightly jerked in to the upright position. She hadn't had a chance to ask about him and Kiba. And why didn't they come with them? "Not sure I'd call him a friend." T-Dog said, referring to Merle. "Well, he is today, that Doxycycline might have just saved your life. You know what Merle was taking it for?" she asked Glenn. "Clap." he blurted out, but when he saw a look Maggie gave him, he composed himself a bit. "Um, venereal disease… That's what Daryl said." May couldn't help but notice that you could cut the air between Maggie and Glenn with a knife. Maggie was very beautiful with a short, bob-cut brown hair and green eyes, and May could see how Glenn could like her. "Well, Merle Dixon's venereal disease is the best thing that ever happened to you." Patricia said practically. "I'd really rather not think about that." T-Dog said through his teeth. Glenn and May exchanged disgusted looks and left the room.

"Glenn, where are the others? Why did only you and T-Dog come?" she asked, as soon as they were alone. "They stayed on the interstate in case Sophia found her way back there. Dale sent me to bring T-Dog here. I would have brought Kiba but I wasn't sure if you were…" his voice trailed off. "Alive? It's okay Glenn, it's reasonable to be scared." She lowered her gaze to her boots. "Daryl stayed to protect them, they'd be sitting ducks without him." Glenn said, reading her mind. "He told me to make sure you were okay." A small smile crept it's way to her lips. "So he's fine?" Glenn nodded. "Good. I'll go check on Carl now, I'll be back soon." May said, leaving Glenn alone on the porch. As she went inside, she almost bumped in to Maggie who was going out to the porch. "He's a really good guy. By all standards." May told Maggie with a soft smile. Maggie gave her a strange look and was about to ask something, but May already left.

She came to Carl's room in time to see Hershel holding the boy to his side while he was having a seizure and Lorry and Rick holding each other in panic. She froze and just watched until Carl stopped seizing. In a matter of seconds, they were all around the bed, while Hershel was examining the boy. "His brain isn't getting enough blood. His pressure is bottoming, he needs another transfusion." Hershel told them. "Here, I'm ready…" Rick said, getting up. "No, Rick, you gave too much. I ate, I'm fine, I'll do it." May stood up as well. "You've both given too much blood already, if I take anymore your bodies will shut down and you might fall in to a coma or cardiac arrest." Hershel warned them. "We're wasting time!" Rick said, offering his arm. Hershel gave in and set up the transfusion. "Hershel, when you think Rick should stop, I'll take over." May said, placing herself at an armchair. Rick and Lorry both gave her grateful looks.

After a while, Hershel came back to the room, unhooked Rick and set May up for the transfusion. The night seemed endless. She wondered what happened that made Shane and Otis take so long. She wondered if they were even alive. Hershel came back and checked Carl's pressure again. "He's losing blood faster than we can replace it and with the swelling in his abdomen we can't wait any longer or he'll just slip away." Patricia unhooked May from the transfusion and put some gaze on her vein, fixing it with a band aid. "I need to know right now if you want me to do this because I believe your boy is running out of time." They exchanged looks but said nothing. "You have to make a choice right now!" Lorry seemed shocked. "A choice?" Rick hugged her. "A choice. You have to tell me what it is. You have to tell me what it is." he said, looking her straight in the eyes. Her lip quivered a bit before she said: "Do it."

May left the room; she felt weak and couldn't do anything there except be in the way. She went out to the porch and saw a car drive in. Shane came back – alone.

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**So, here's the end of this chapter. You know what to do - leave a review telling me if you'd like to see May and Daryl together before or after he hallucinates Merle :)**


	13. Reunion pt 1

**Heya, guys! So, YAY for you guys and all your reviews :D You're awesome! I've decided not to tell you what i've decided and let you get surprised - i think that will make it more fun :) But your input did help a lot :) So, enjoy this chapter and continue reviewing - that's what keeps me writing :)**

***** I don't think i mentioned this before but even though i know that Daryl is in his early 40's in the show, in this story i imagined him to be around 36-37. If the age difference was any bigger it'd be too OOC. *** **

**writtergrrrl, MAR76, i always love your comments, so thank you a lot for being my reviewers :)**

**Kory P, i hope i met the expectations of a first time reader :) Thanks for reviewing :)**

**Katumori, that's a fair point and it did get me thinking. You'll see what i've decided in one of the following chapters :) Thanks for the review :)**

**BellaBloodrayne, wow, thanks! That really made my evening yesterday :) I hope you'll enjoy my decision - just wait a chapter or two :) **

**Disclaimer:**

**I own only May and Kiba  
**

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**Chapter 13: Reunion pt. 1  
**

Rick, Lorry, Hershel, Glenn and Maggie spilled out of the house after her. Shane parked the car and got out, carrying several bags of medical equipment. His entire body was shaking with exhaustion and, when May looked in his eyes, she saw he wasn't the same man he was when he left. "Carl?" he asked through gasps. "There's still a chance." Hershel said, grabbing the equipment. He headed for the house but then realized something was wrong. "Otis?" he asked, anticipating the answer. "He… H-…" Shane stuttered. May saw Maggie's eyes fill with tears and she pulled her in to a hug. "We say nothing to Patricia!" Hershel said, pushing down his sadness. "Not 'till after. I need her!" he added and ran off to Carl.

Rick hugged the shivering Shane as he spoke. "They… They just kept blocking us, man… We had nothing left… We were down to ten rounds… He said he'd cover me, and I should keep going and that's what I did… And he just… I looked back, and he…" his voice trailed off.

May took the crying Maggie back to the house. "May, you should sleep, you'll faint if you keep this up." the girl said through tears. "I'm okay… Don't worry." May replied, taking Maggie to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. Glenn was already there. "Don't worry, I got it." he said softly, letting May go and rest up a bit.

She sat in the living room and waited. She hoped everything will be alright with Carl. Otis slipped in her mind and suddenly, she felt a stab of sadness for Patricia. After about two hours, Hershel walked in the living room and gave May a satisfied nod. She smiled at him and he went to the porch to inform Rick and Lorry. May curled up in the armchair she was sitting in and spent the next couple of hours just sitting there, staring out the window. She dozed off around dawn and, early in the morning, a sound of an engine woke her up. She walked up to the window and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the RV and truck pulling over in front of the house. In front of them, already parked was Daryl's bike. _He's alright!_

Daryl woke everyone up at dawn and they packed up, heading for the Greene farm. Kiba was reflecting his inner excitement much more openly, jumping around everyone, wagging his tail happily. When they parked outside the big farmhouse, people started spilling out. Rick, Lorry, Shane, Glenn and T-Dog were all there, including a couple of people he'd never seen before; he guessed this must be their farm. Rick was pale and it was obvious he hadn't slept the entire night.

"Is he alright?" the concerned Dale asked. "He'll pull through." Lorry replied to everyone's relief. Daryl slightly jerked his head when a tall, thin figure appeared at the door, leaning against it. She was pale to the point her skin seemed gray, had even worse dark circles around her eyes than Rick and was obviously putting a lot of effort in to just standing. _What happened?_ Still, he didn't miss the little smile she gave him before Kiba ran up to her and put his paws on her shoulders the way he sometimes did. "Thank's to Hershel and his people…" Lorry continued. "And May and Shane. Carl wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for them." Rick added. They all sighed and hugged each other in relief. May stayed at the door and Daryl stayed by his bike, but they never broke eye contact.

The rest of the group was talking, but he wasn't listening to them. May slowly walked up to him; he noticed her legs shaking. "Took you long enough, Dixon." she whispered with a small smile before she collapsed. He caught her before she hit the ground and lifted her up bridal-style. This caused a comotion and Rick and Lorry got guilty looks on their faces. Glenn was the first one to react. "Maggie…" he said, pointing to May. The girl he was talking to, Maggie walked up to them, followed by a gray haired, older man. "I told her… Quickly, Maggie, show him to the guest bedroom."

The girl led him in to the house and upstairs. "What's wrong with 'er?" Daryl asked sharply. "Carl was losing a lot of blood and both her and Rick gave him multiple transfusions. She tried to spare Rick as much as possible but…" Maggie's voice trailed off while Daryl placed the still unconscious May on the bed. Kiba, who followed him the entire time, sat by May's bed and started whining quietly. He put a hand on his head and the dog fell quiet. "Are you two…" Maggie asked, but the look he gave her told her she wasn't going to get an answer. She left the room and Daryl took a seat by May's bed. She seemed so fragile he was afraid to touch her so he just sat and waited. Hershel, the old man with the gray hair, came by after a moment or so. He took her pressure, listened to her breathing and checked if her pupils were responsive to light. "She'll be fine in a day or two. She'll just need sleep and food." he turned to Daryl. "Don't let her over-exert herself for the next two days – she's too stubborn for her own good." Daryl nodded and Hershel left the room.

Daryl spent the next three hours sitting by her bed silently and without moving. Kiba was lying at his feet, watching the bed expectantly. Suddenly, he got up and walked up to the bed, waving his tail around uncertainly. A moment later, May's eyes slowly opened. She blinked a couple of times taking in her surroundings before she realized Daryl was in the room. When she looked at him, his heart skipped a beat. She started to sit up but Daryl swiftly got up and gently pushed her back to the bed. "Yer supposed to rest."

May opened her eyes and it took her a moment to remember everything, when she realized she wasn't alone. She saw Daryl sitting in a chair by her bed. Feeling a tug in her gut, she was embarrassed that she fainted. Not wanting to seam any weaker than she already did, she tried sitting up. With lightning speed, Daryl gently pushed her back. "Yer supposed to rest." he said in a raspy voice. She held back an eye-roll and instead just let out a small sigh. "Never thought you were the wait-by-bedside type." she teased, but knew his was the first face she wanted to see. "Someone had to tell ya yer stupid." Daryl said, looking her straight in the eyes with an angry frown.

"What?" May asked, thrown back by the answer. "What if tha walkers attacked? You'd 'a been a sittin' duck." he replied, the frown never leaving his face. For a moment, May was completely stunned, but then she realized what the frown on his face was; it wasn't anger – it was concern. He was worried about her. Still, that didn't change the fact that nobody called her stupid. "So you think it would have been better to let Carl bleed to death?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. His face scrunched in to an even tighter frown, before it relaxed. "How's Carl?" she asked, remembering the injured boy. "He'll be fine." the hunter answered.

May took a deep breath and let herself feel scared for the first time since Carl got shot. She refused the idea of him not surviving through the entire process and was ready to go and look for Shane and Otis herself if it was necessary, but now that Carl was out of the woods, all the fear she was holding back poured out. She shivered a bit, but made her body calm down. Kiba placed his head by her hand and she buried it in his soft fur. Looking back at Daryl, May realized his gaze never left her. For the first time in her life she was feeling butterflies in her stomach. She rolled on to her side, facing him. They fell in to a comfortable silence and May felt her entire body relax for what felt like the first time since the dead started walking.

The sound of someone knocking on the door got both their attentions. The door opened and Lorry walked in, carrying a tray with a bow of hot soup and a glass of orange juice on it. She didn't react to Daryl being there so he figured she must have already known. "Lorry, hey. How's Carl?" May asked, pulling herself in a more dignified, sitting position. "He's better. He woke up and asked about Sophia." Lorry said, placing the plate on May's lap. May tapped on the bed, showing her she can sit down. "What'd you tell 'im?" Daryl asked. "We told him she's fine; what were we supposed to tell him?" the mother answered. "Anyway, May, Hershel said you are to eat and drink all of this. Also, he said you should stay at the farm today." May frowned slightly. "God, I just gave some blood, it's not like I was the one who got shot." she said, slightly pouting. Daryl had to use a lot of willpower not to smile at this. "About that… We didn't get a moment to thank you…" Lorry started, but May cut her off. "Lorry, there's no need to thank me, either of you would have done the same if the situation was reverse." Lorry took May's hand in her own. "No. You saved our son's life. There is no better reason to be thankful. So thank you, thank you so much." May smiled. "Any time." Lorry stood up, ready to leave the room. "There's about to be a funeral for Otis…" she said, opening the door. "I'll see you there." May replied as Lorry closed the door behind her.

Daryl stayed, making sure she ate all her food. When she was done, he left to let her get ready. He brought her her backpack and she pulled out some clean clothes – clean underwear, a pair of washed out jeans, a gray camisole and a loose, mustard button-up shirt. She took a shower and washed her hair in less than 10 minutes. She dried it with a towel the best she could, got dressed and went out in to the backyard.

Everyone on the farm except Carl was at Otis's funeral. Hershel said a prayer and small eulogy as all of them put a stone on Otis's grave. It was symbolic and beautiful, May thought. It was rare these days that they got to give someone a proper goodbye. Patricia was crying, while Maggie and Beth were trying not to. "Shane, will you speak for Otis?" Hershel asked turning to Shane who seemed to have shaved his head over night. May found it more than strange, but said nothing. "I... I'm not good at it… I'm sorry…" Shane stuttered out. "You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments… Please… I need to hear… I need to know his death had meaning." Patricia plead through tears. So Shane told them a story of how Otis wanted to save Carl's life over his own, how he gave Shane the gear he was carrying and told him he'd catch up and how he was, ultimately, overpowered by the walkers. He limped to the grave, placing a stone on it himself. "Was it not for Otis, I'd never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl, too. It was Otis… He saved us both." Shane said, turning to face Patricia. "If any death ever had meaning, it was his."

All of what Shane said was very sad, but May didn't miss the look in his eyes that didn't match his words. He seemed disturbed, not sad. She said nothing for she thought she might just be projecting her own dislike of the man. After the funeral, Hershel and Maggie brought them a map to help organize the search for Sophia.

"So, how long's this girl been missing?" Hershel asked the people organizing the search – Rick, Daryl, May, Shane and Andrea. May wasn't sure why Andrea was butting in as she was a city girl with little to no experience with weapons and absolutely no experience tracking, reading maps or surviving in the wilderness. "This'll be day three." Rick answered. Maggie spread out a map in front of them. "County survey map – show's terrain and elevations." They all leaned in, looking over the map. "This is perfect." Daryl said. "We can finally get this thing organized." Rick added with renewed streinght. "We can split them in to grids and search in teams." May said, getting a few approving nods. "Not you two – not today." Hershel said giving her and Rick a stern look you'd give a naughty kindergartner. "Rick, you gave three units of blood and you -" he said, turning to May, "you gave four. You wouldn't be hiking for five minutes in this heat before passing out. And your ankle," he said, turning to Shane, "push it now and you'll be held back a month. Then you'd be no good to anybody." All three of them frowned a bit. "Guess it's just me." Daryl said, leaning over the map. "Gonna head back to tha creek, work m' way up from there." He gave May a look warning her not to leave the farm. "I can still be useful – I can drive up to the interstate and see if she wondered back." Shane said, not wanting to be left on the side lines.

"Alright, tomorrow we start doing this right." Rick said decisively. "That means we can't have our people out there with just knives. They need gun training we've been promising." Shane said and Andrea turned to Rick expectantly. "I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've managed so far without turning this in to an army camp." Hershel said and May understood the man. "With all due respect, if a crowd of those things wondered in here…" Shane complained. "We're guests here, this is your property and we will respect that." Rick said, giving a promise to Hershel and a warning to Shane with just that one sentence. He took his gun out and placed it on the map. Shane reluctantly did the same. "First things first – we set camp and find Sophia." Rick said. "I hate to be the one to ask, but somebody's got to – what happens if we find her and she's bit? We should all be clear on how to handle that." Shane said with surprising ease. "You do what needs to be done." Rick said uncomfortably.

"And her mother, what will you tell her?" Maggie asked, obviously not agreeing with the decision. "The truth." Andrea replied shortly. Daryl, Andrea and Shane left after it was decided that the person on watch could have one riffle just in case. "We're running short on medical supplies, I should make a run in to town." Maggie told Hershel. "The place Shane went?" Rick and May asked simultaneously, obviously not wanting the girl to go there. "No, there's a pharmacy, just a mile down the road. I've done it before." The last part was meant for Hershel who seemed less than inclined to send his daughter out there alone. "Well, Glenn over there is the our go-to-town expert. He's quick both on his feet and with his mind. You should ask him to tag along." May said, pointing at Glenn. "May's right, that'd be a good idea." Rick agreed. Hershel nodded and Maggie left.

May set up her tent a little further from the rest of the group, close to the edge of the farm. She always felt better when she was close to the woods. When she finally took out her sleeping bag to put it in the tent and be done with it, she felt something at the bottom of her pack. She took the rectangular object and pulled it out, realizing it was a book. "100 Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, to be precise. She recognized it as the book from the CDC – the one she left on the floor of the rec room that night she and Daryl… _Daryl! _She woke up in his room the next morning, with all of her things there. He must have seen her with the book and put it in her backpack. A smile formed on her lips as she went to the porch to try and catch Daryl before he left, faithfully followed by Kiba. When she got there, she found Rick sitting at the stairs. Before he noticed her, Daryl walked out from behind the house.

"Daryl." Rick called out. "You okay on your own?"

"I'm better on my own. I'll be back before dark." Daryl replied, walking away. "Hey. We have a base. We can get this search properly organized now." Rick said and May widened her eyes slightly. _What are you doing, Rick? _"You got a point or 're we just chattin'?" Daryl asked, reflecting her feelings. "My point is, this lets you off the hook. You don't owe us anything." Rick said, suggesting Daryl was free to go. Daryl just turned around and walked away saying: "My other plans fell through." leaving Rick standing in the Georgian dust.

"What was that for?" May asked, walking up behind Rick. "I just told him he wasn't obliged to help us anymore." Rick replied innocently. "Rick… I know you're one of the few good men left, so please stop being such a dick-head." Rick raised his eyebrows in surprise. "He isn't helping because he has to – he's helping because he wants to. When you say shit like that, it makes it sound as if you don't consider him a part of the group and – before you say anything on the matter remember who led your wife safely through the woods yesterday and who hunted to feed the entire group back at the quarry. He saved T-Dog's life when the herd came by and last night while we were taking care of Carl, Daryl was in the woods by himself looking for Sophia. He's a good man and you should try treating him as such." She said all of this in one angry breath. Before Rick could say anything, she turned around and walked away followed by Kiba, leaving him to think about what she said.

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**That was chapter 13! Hah :) I just wanna say something about the ending; when i was watching the episode for the first time and this scene came along i was, like: RICK, YOU DICK! It was a super shitty thing to say. It felt good having May tell him off like that (although much in a much nicer manner than i would have) :) **

**Anyway, i hope you enjoyed it and will review as your feedback makes me super happy every time i read it :) Peace!**


	14. Reunion pt 2

**Well, guys, here's a new one! Enjoy and review, cause i'm not posting a new chapter without at least 4 new reviews!  
**

**Disclaimer:**

**I own only May and Kiba**

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May went back to the backyard in time to see Lorry walking away from a confused Glenn. She walked up to him with a slight smile on her face. "Did you know I was riding out – yes, riding – to the pharmacy with Maggie?" Glenn asked her, seeming dazed by the whole thing. "Yes, I suggested she invite you on account of your many, many useful skills." May said giving him a wink. "Is running from walkers and giving blood to little boys that got shot just not exciting enough for you?" he asked in a fake upset tone. "What can I say, Glenn, I'm a hard woman to please." she replied with a faux-distressed expression. "Dixon doesn't seem to be having that problem." Glenn teased her. She gave him a stare, but they ended up laughing about it. Maggie reached them at the same time Dale and T-Dog did – apparently, there was a walker in one of the wells.

Dale, T-Dog, May, Glenn, Andrea, Lorry, Maggie and Shane went to the well to find a disgusting, bloated, snarling walker, scraping up the well walls, wanting to eat them. "Looks like we got us a swimmer." Dale said, pointing a flashlight at it. "How long do you think it's been down there?" Glenn asked. "Long enough to grow gills." Andrea answered. "We can't leave it in there – God knows what it's doing to the water." Lorry pointed out. "We gotta get it out." Shane agreed. "Easy – we put a bullet in its head." T-Dog said. "Whoa, whoa, guys. No." Maggie said suddenly. "Why not?" Glenn asked confusedly. "Hershel said no guns – also, if it hasn't contaminated the water yet, blowing its brains out will finish the job." May replied level-headedly. "She's right – we can't risk it." Shane agreed reluctantly. "So it has to come out alive?" T-Dog asked, looking at the walker with disgust. "So to speak…" Shane said. "How do we do that?" Glenn asked.

First, they tried lowering a ham on a hook to fish the walker out. The geek completely ignored it. "It's not going for it." Dale observed. "That's because a ham don't kick and scream when you try to eat it." T-Dog said with disgust. "We need live bait." Andrea said indifferently. Then she looked at Glenn, followed by the rest of the group.

"Have I mentioned I really like your new haircut – you have a really nicely shaped head." Glenn told Shane while he was securing a rope around his waist. "Don't worry about it bud, we're gonna get you out of here in one piece." Shane replied. May was pacing back and forth the entire time. "I still think this is a stupid idea." she said, giving Glenn the don't-do-this look. "Just pull me out in one living piece. The 'living' part is important." Glenn said, giving May a reassuring look.

They were ready to shimmy Glenn down the well. "You people are crazy." Maggie said nervously. "You want it out or not?" Shane asked, securing the rope in his hands. May was standing next to the well to navigate them as Dale wouldn't let her help with the pulling. "Give us an eye there Maggie." he said, engaging her in the process. She stood by may and the two young women exchanged worried looks. Glenn looked at her before going down and she shook her head slightly at him.

They lowered Glenn down the well slowly, while he was holding on the other rope. He was supposed to lasso it around the walker so they could pull it out. "A little lower… A little more." he navigated them as they let more and more of the rope loose. Suddenly, the pole they were letting the rope around gave in under Glenn's weight and bolted from the ground, making Glenn plummet down the well and straight on to the walker. Everyone grabbed on to the rope and started pulling Glen out while he was screaming "Get me out of here! Get me out!" They kept pulling but it was much more difficult to pull him out now, without anything to share his weight. When he was almost out, May ran up to him, grabbing his hands and pulled him out, both of them lying in the dust in exhaustion and fear. She sat up and looked at her friend fearfully. "Glenn, are you alright? Did he bite you?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder as they all felt the adrenalin in their veins calm down. He nodded. "Told you it was a stupid idea." she said, standing up and dusting herself off. Kiba, who she ordered to stay in the shade by the fence, walked up to her, sniffing her concernedly. "I'm okay, boy." she told him with a smile, scratching him behind the ears. He wagged his tail contently and went back to the shade.

"I guess it's back to the drawing board." Dale said. "Says you." Glenn replied, standing up, ready for another try. This time, he managed to tie up the geek and they were now trying to pull the thing out. It was heavy and it didn't particularly like being tugged at so the process was slow. It was half way out the well when it got stuck. Shane and Andrea started tugging at it more forcefully while the bastard waved it's hands around grabbing for air and growling in a frenzy. "Don't pull to hard it might…" but before May could finish her sentence, the thing ripped in two, it legs and a lower half of his body plummeting back down the well while the disgusting fluids from the upper half of its body gave them insight in to what just spilled in to a portion of their drinking water. The remaining part of the geek grabbed through the air, trying to catch one of the, hoping to eat them.

"We should seal off this well…" Dale said disappointedly. "What do we do about the…" Lorry started, but gave up on her question once T-Dog started bashing the walker's head in. May saw Maggie look away, shocked and disgusted. When the walker was dead, T-Dog turned to them. "Good thing we didn't do anything stupid like shoot it." he said sarcastically.

The rest of the day went by boringly, as there wasn't much to do around the farm when the man running it kept telling you to go and rest. Shane and Andrea, who seemed to be getting quite chummy, took Carol out to the interstate. When they were back, the women went to the trailer and when May walked in, she found her cleaning.

*WDWDWDWD*

Daryl just came back from the woods and found Rick was waiting for him at the porch again. "Hey, Daryl." the sheriff called out. "What?" Daryl asked, still a little pissed about before. "I… I wanted to apologize." Daryl said nothing and just kept looking at him. "What I said before… It was ignorant and rude after all you've done… May was right…" this got Daryl's attention.

"What d'ya mean?" he asked aggressively. "She heard our conversation, damn near bit my head off afterwards." Daryl nodded and walked away. Rick was, once again, left standing in the dust, confused. Daryl headed for the RV, guessing he'd find Carol there to give her something before he looked for May.

*WDWDWDWD*

"Hey Carol." she called out softly. The woman gave her a weak smile and kept scrubbing at the table. May assumed how she was feeling so, instead of saying anything, she took a rag and joined her in making the RV spotless. After about an hour of cleaning, May felt a little winded so she took a seat at the table. Carol, who was sewing up the bed cover gave her a grateful look but said nothing. Suddenly, Daryl walked in, holding a strand of straw between his lips. He looked around the RV, noticing the change. "We cleaned up. I wanted it to be nice for her." Carol explained. He nodded, taking another look around. "I was thinkin' I was at tha wrong place." he replied. Carol said nothing and Daryl and May exchanged looks. He pulled a bottle with a single, white flower sticking out and placed it on the table.

"A flower?" Carol asked, giving him a scared look. "It's a Cherokee rose. The story is that when American soldiers were movin' Indians of their land on the trail o' tears the Cherokee mothers were grievin' an' cryin' so much 'cause they were losin' the little ones on the way. Exposure… Disease… Starvation… A lot o' them just disappeared. So the elders said a prayer – they asked for a sign to uplift the mother's spirits, give 'em strength, hope... The next day this rose started to grow just where the mother's tears fell." Daryl took a pause there while both women kept their eyes on him. "I'm not fool enough to.. to think there are flowers bloomin' for ma brother." May felt a stab of compassionate pain through her chest. "But i… I believe this one bloomed for your little girl." As he finished his story, a hopeful smile crept on to Carol's face. He nodded and walked back to the door. "She's gonna really like it in here." Daryl added before he left the RV. Carol gave May a grateful look that said she'd like to be alone so May hugged her gently and left as well.

As soon as she was out, she looked for Daryl. "Kiba, find Daryl." she told the dog and followed after him. A couple of minutes later, in the field near the edge of the farm and near her own tent, May found Daryl setting up his tent. May told Kiba to go back to the house – Rick mentioned Carl wanted to see him. Then she headed to Daryl – alone.

He saw her coming as he was starting a camp fire – it was almost night time. He dropped what he was doing and walked up to her. As soon as they were close enough, he slipped one arm around her waist and the other behind her neck and pulled her in to a kiss. May wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, not letting their lips part. Daryl gently pushed her backwards until her back pressed against a tree. He felt her hands clumsily but eagerly unbutton his shirt. She pulled it off him as he all but ripped the button up shirt off her. He slid his hands under her tight camisole, feeling her soft, warm skin under his rough fingers. The flowery scent that always followed her around made him want her even more and he eagerly pulled the shirt off her, leaving her in a bra and jeans.

May knew her bare back was pressed against the rough tree bark but she didn't feel it. The only thing she felt were Daryl's calloused hands sliding down the lower part of her back. He unhooked her bra with one hand and threw it in the grass, kissing her neck passionately. She fumbled around with the button on his pants until she managed to finally open it. She pulled down his pants halfway, but he pulled her back in to another passionate kiss. She felt her own pants unbutton and fall to the ground. They threw the rest of their clothes of, all the while kissing and holding each other as if the bubble they were in would burst if they took but a moment to take in what was happening. Daryl lifted her, pressing her against the tree and she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him in. She wanted him – needed him so badly it almost hurt. When he slipped inside her, she let out a loud moan, burying her nails in his shoulder.

Pressing her against the tree he felt her long, lean legs wrap around him, inviting him to her. As he slipped inside she let out a loud moan and he immediately stopped moving, mistaking it for pain. They looked at each other and, looking in to her honey-colored eyes, he was surer than ever that she was the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes on. She pulled him all the way in with her legs, purring like a cat. He grabbed her and carried her away from the tree, laying her on the ground.

She felt the cold evening grass tickle her back as Daryl's strong arms gently laid her on the ground. At the beginning, his thrusts were slow but intense and she held on to him as if holding on to dear life. As he sped up, kissing and nibbling at her neck and ear eagerly, she felt the familiar sensation spreading through her entire body like a wildfire. She buried her hand in his hair, moaning louder and louder as they both climaxed together, Daryl growling like a wild animal. They gasped for air and May felt Daryl's hand softly slide up her thigh, trailing her body until he reached her face. He stroked her cheek gently before rolling off her an on to his back.

The cool grass felt good against Daryl's sweaty, tired body. He looked at the woman lying beside him, the moonlight giving her soft, milky skin a surreal glow. Smiling lightly, he pulled her close to him. She rested her head on his chest, cuddling up to his body. Her warm skin felt good against his own and he trailed a hand up her back, burying it in her long, silky hair, breathing in her scent. Lying with her like that, he knew he would go to any lengths to make sure nothing bad happened to her ever again. He squeezed his arm a little tighter around her. She let out a low, satisfied purr, pressing her body closer to his. After what felt like an eternity, she raised her head up and met his gaze, propping herself up on her elbow. Her body moved so fluently and gracefully she reminded him of a wild cat. Then a thought crossed his mind – was she just looking for a distraction?

As she lay in his arms, May felt safer than ever in her life. The world as they knew it ended but, against all odds, she felt truly happy. He tightened his grip on her and she pressed herself as close to him as she could. She watched as his muscular chest rose with every breath he took and listened to his heart beating, almost hypnotized by the sound. Propping herself up, she faced the man she spent the most intimate moment of her life with.

"How'd you get the scars on your back?" she asked him softly, trailing a finger down his chest. He looked at the sky, as if trying to decide if he should tell her. "Ma old man was never the lovin' type and my ma' was drunk most of tha time so… Belt and buckle." he said that almost indifferently, but the flash of pain in his eyes didn't escape her. She felt a sharp stab in her chest at the thought of someone hurting Daryl. She leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his chest, where his heart was, and then pulled herself up a bit, kissing him softly on the lips. He kissed her back, sliding his arm down her back and around her waist. A sudden breeze blew through the farm and May shivered, the adrenalin slowly leaving her bloodstream. He rolled to his side, facing her and wrapped his other arm around her body. His wide shoulders and strong arms gave her both warmth and safety. She pressed her forehead against his, kissing him lightly again. He gently stroked her hair, moving a strand from her face. "You'll git sick." he said softly. She kissed him again, wanting to drive all the worry from his mind. He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Still, she didn't fool him; a moment later he was on his feet, gathering their clothes from the ground. They got dressed and slowly headed back to their tents.

Daryl didn't want her to go yet – he didn't know if this would ever happen again and he didn't want it to end yet. He could see she wasn't sure if she should go to her own tent or not and it made him smile lightly. "You can pack yer tent up in tha mornin' if y' want." he mumbled.

May's heart skipped a beat when the words left his lips. For a moment, she thought she saw fear of rejection in his eyes, but it was gone faster than it appeared. He unzipped his tent and pulled the fabric away, letting her in. Kiba ran up to them from the dark of the woods, panting and wagging his tail, happy to be back with his pack leader. "But, what about…" May started, pointing at Kiba, but Daryl cut her off before she could finish. "I know tha two of ya are a package deal." he said shortly. "It's a good thing my tent is easy to pack, then." she replied and a relieved smile spread across Daryl's face before he could stop it. It was a warm night so May left Kiba to sleep outside. She and Daryl went inside the tent and as soon as he zipped it closed, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in to a kiss.

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**Ha! :D They've finally hooked up! I didn't want to hint at it, i hoped it might catch you by surprise. Did it work? Also, I hope you like the way i handled it and that you will REVIEW! :D Remember, the next chapter will come in just four reviews :) Peace!**


	15. The Morning After

**Yay! You guys are the awesomest reviewers ever :D You all made me beyond happy so thank you :D In any case, here's a new chapter, as promised. I really hope you'll enjoy it and that you will REVIEW (seriously, though, review it makes me post faster) :D  
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**MAR76, i wasn't so sure about the flower scene myself, but i thought that May seeing him be that sweet would make her like him even more. I hope that makes sence xD Anyhow, thank you for reviewing :D**

**Monikou, thanks! I'm really glad you liked it :) Thanks for reviewing, it means a lot :)**

**BellaBloodeayne, i'm so happy you liked it! Hopefully, you'll like this one as well ;) Thanks for all your reviews :)**

**writergrrrl, i love the reaction :D Trust me, i waited as long as i could - i was just as eager for this to happen as all you guys :D I wrote a scene of them hooking up twice before, but then made myself move it for later and i just couldn't anymore :D Plus, with all the shit that's about to happen, i wanted to give them a little time to get used to each other before shit hits the fan again. In any case, thanks for reviewing and i hope you'll like the new chapter :)**

**Forever Fanfiction Lover22, thank you :D You must wait no longer - here's the new chapter! s**

**lilybelle101, here's a special shout-out to you - thanks for being the story's 60th follower :D  
**

**Disclaimer:**

**I own only May and Kiba.**

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**Chapter 15: The Morning After**

Daryl woke up and, judging by the amount of light in the tent, deduced it was just after dawn. His arms were wrapped tightly around something warm – May. She was still asleep, her face snuggled in the crook of his neck, her long, dark hair falling in waves around her. They were both naked. The memories of last night came flooding back and he smiled lightly at the woman sleeping in his arms. She let out a purring noise and her amber eyes fluttered open. At first, she seemed a bit confused, but when she looked up at him and smiled he knew last night wasn't a one-time thing. He kissed her lightly on the lips.

May felt that first wave of consciousness that hits you in the morning, the one before you open your eyes. She was still between the dream world and the waking one. A familiar scent pulled her slowly out of sleep. Her eyes fluttered open and she realized she was in Daryl's arms. As soon as she blinked the sleep away and saw the look in Daryl's eyes, her face pulled in to a big smile. He scoffed a bit, planting a kiss on her lips.

"Good morning." she said in a still sleepy voice. "Mornin'." he replied, neither of them moving. "We should probably get dressed and…" but as he kissed her neck softly, the thought left her head. "You were sayin'?" he asked, teasing her slightly. "Well…" Him trailing his kisses lower and lower down her belly was just too distracting. With a little giggle, she gave in to the pleasure of waking up next to Daryl.

An hour later, they left the tent and joined the rest of the group, followed by Kiba. They had breakfast and then met up with Rick, Shane, Andrea and T-Dog. Yesterday, Daryl found an abandoned farmhouse in the woods. There were a lot of indicators that said someone had been there recently; in one of the cupboards, he found what seemed like a hidden, improvised bed made of blankets, pillows and sheets, just big enough for a child Sophia's size. Also, he found some leftover canned goods that had been opened and eaten recently. Whoever ate them threw the can in the trash meaning they were human. It was all a very good indicator they were close to finding the little girl.

"Alright, everyone's getting new search grids today." Rick said as they all gathered around the map. "If she made it as far as the farm house Daryl found, she may have made it even further east than we've been so far." JImmy, the boy that was staying with the Greene's and was Beth's boyfriend, interrupted them. "I'd like to help. I know the area pretty well and stuff…" he said and they all gave him suspicious looks. "Hershel's okay with this?" Rick asked. "Yeah… Yeah. He said I should ask you." May was unconvinced but it was enough for Rick. "Okay, then. Thanks."

"Nothing Daryl found was screamin' Sophia to me. Anyone could have been holed up in that farmhouse." Shane said suddenly. May noticed Shane and Andrea have been spending a lot of time together. He was teaching her how to shoot which would have been a good idea if she wasn't so trigger happy. "Anyone includes her, right?" the blond pointed out. "Well, whoever slept in that cupboard was no bigger than yay-high." Daryl said, motioning somewhere around his waist height. May noticed he'd put on one of the shirts she found on the interstate and smiled lightly to herself. "How many children wondering through the forest can there be?" May asked, but it was more of a statement. "Good lead." Andrea agreed. "Maybe we'll pick up her trail again." Rick added. "I'mma borrow a horse, head up to this ridge right here, get a bird's eye view of the 'hole grid. If she's out there, I'll spot 'er."

"Good idea. Maybe you'll see your chupacabra there too." T-Dog said, making them all jerk their heads his way. "A chupacabra?" Rick asked, May and him both very confused. "Didn't you hear it? The first night in camp Daryl said that the whole thing reminds him of this one time he went squirrel hunting and he saw a chupacabra." Dale explained, obviously not believing the hunter. Jimmy scoffed and May took a step back, trying to hold back her laughter. "What're ya laughing at, jackass?" Daryl asked Jimmy threateningly. "So, you believe in a blood sucking dog?" Rick asked, raising his eyebrows. "Ya believe in dead people walkin' around?" Daryl asked Rick, making them all shut up. May let a scoff escape her lips and, when Daryl turned to her, she gave him the most innocent look she could summon.

Jimmy reached for a riffle leaning against the car they opened the map on. "Hey, hey… Ever fire one before?" Rick asked Jimmy, stopping him from taking the riffle.. "Well, if I'm going out, I want one." the boy replied. "People in hell want slurpees." Daryl replied derisively, earning him another smile from May. "You should come and train tomorrow, I'm a certified instructor." Shane told him. "For now, he can come with us." Andrea said. "He's yours to babysit, then."

They split up in teams, Andrea and T-Dog, Rick and Shane, May and Kiba and Daryl, who went out alone. They decided it was fine for May and Daryl to go out alone seeing as how they were both good trackers and, generally, got around the forest as if they were born there. Daryl wasn't all too happy about May going alone, but he knew that if anyone was capable of looking after them self, it was her.

Before heading out, May went to see Glenn – he was the go-to-town guy and she needed him to get her something. She found him sitting on the porch, playing with the guitar Dale found on the highway. She noticed there was something different about him – he seemed…

"Oh my God, you and Maggie had sex!" she said in a loud whisper, leaning against the fence. "Wha… How did you know?" he asked, jumping to his feet. "It's all over your face." _Also, I saw the same expression in my own reflection this morning. _"Think the others will notice?" he asked, sitting back down, seeming nervous. "I don't think so, it takes one to know on…" the words left her mouth before she realized what she said. Glenn's eyes widened when and a smile stretched across his face as she inhaled sharply, frowning at herself. "Daryl?" he asked simply. She just nodded, blushing slightly. "Well, he's a lucky guy." Glenn said warmly, deciding not to tease her. "So is Maggie. Speaking of which, do you think you'll be going on another run to the pharmacy?" Glenn blinked. "I don't know. You need anything?" he asked. "Well… pills. Contraceptive pills. As much as you can find." May said bluntly. Maggie chose that moment to come out to the porch. May, not wanting to be a third wheel, waved at both of them and trotted off to find Daryl before they leave. He was by his tent, getting ready.

"Hey." she called out, walking up to him. "Hey." he replied, letting the bag he was holding fall o the ground. He cupped her face with his hand and kissed her, as she slipped her hand around his waist. "Y'all take care, okay?" he said, picking up his stuff. She took the bag she prepared that morning, picked up her bow and quiver and looked up at him again. "You too. And I mean it." She planted another kiss on his lips and walked away, disappearing between the trees.

Daryl took a horse out of the stables, saddled it and ventured in to the woods. He rode for some time, not picking up a trail. Along the way, he hunted squirrels they could later on eat. As he rode along a ridge, towering over the creek, he saw something stuck in some debris. Tying the horse to a bush, he slid down to the water and found an abandoned doll. It must have been Sophia's. "Sophia!" he called out loudly, but there was no answer. There was a ruffle in the bushes and he froze for a moment, waiting. Nothing happened. Mounting the horse again, he was back to searching. A couple of birds flew out of a bush and the horse became nervous. Daryl didn't want to waste time stopping and just kept riding when suddenly, a rattlesnake slid out of the bush, scaring the horse. The horse screamed, jerked and he felt his body fly through the air. The next thing he knew, he was rolling and tumbling down the hill and on to some rock, falling straight in the shallow water underneath him. The horse ran off in to the woods. "Son of a bitch!" His head was pounding and it took him a moment to focus enough to realize what happened. A sharp pain in his side told him something was wrong. Grunting in pain, he looked down his body and saw one of his bolts sticking through his abdomen.

She wandered through the forest, marking the boundaries of her grid with purple ribbon – Andrea and T-Dog were using blue and Rick and Shane red. She hasn't found any trace of Sophia, but Kiba and she did catch a fair amount of rabbits which meant – rabbit stew for dinner. "Hey, boy… If you find her scent now, if we find her I'm gonna make you such a good dinner…" Suddenly, Kiba started growling angrily. Four walkers stumbled out of the bushes and frantically headed for May. She launched one of her arrows, hitting one of the geeks between the eyes. Backing up, she launched another one and hit the target perfectly. "Kiba, heel." Pulling out her hunting knife, she was ready to lunge at the third walker when she tripped over a tree root and fell on her back. The creature ran for her and she stabbed it in the eye, but only to have it collapse on her. The last walker saw this as an opportunity and hurled at them, trying to grab her from under his dead peer. She forcefully pushed them back and, as the live one hit the ground, a fully equipped horse she recognized as one of Hershel's came out of nowhere, smashing the walkers head with its hooves. Sitting up, she took a deep breath, leaning against Kiba's back when she realized the horse had no rider. She walked up to the horse – a mare – and took her reins. The horse obediently let her, lowering her head slightly. May stroked her mane, thinking; Daryl was the only one who went out on a horse and this meant something was wrong.

Daryl slowly crawled out of the water. It was a painful fall, even without being pierced by a bolt. Grunting in pain, he managed to get himself up in a kneeling position. Releasing his knife, he cut of the sleeves of his shirt, grateful that May found it, and tied them around the end of the bolt sticking out his front, making sure it wouldn't move around and cause any more pain or damage than it already did. He looked up the cliff he fell off – it would be a challenge scaling that even if he wasn't hurt. Cussing and grunting, he got up and found a thick branch he could use as a walking stick. A ruffling in the bushes told him he wasn't alone. He reached for his crossbow but realized he dropped while he was falling. Hastily, he went back in to the water and started digging around the bottom with the stick. After a while, he pulled out his weapon and turned back to the wall of the cliff. Slowly, he started making his way up hill. The ground was wet, slippery and steep and the pain in his side kept getting worse and worse. Still, he was already half way up. He promised May he was going to be fine and didn't plan on breaking that promise. The top of the cliff was almost within reach when he stopped to take breather. "Oh, c'mon… Stop being such a pussy." he told himself and took a leap for a branch that would get him to the top. He grabbed on to it but, before he could pull himself up, the ground underneath him slipped and he fell all the way down again, this time hitting the ground even harder.

May sent the horse back to the farm – she had a knack with animals and she was certain that, by next morning, that horse would be back in the stables. Now all she had to do was find Daryl. Their grids were the furthest ones apart and she knew she had a lot of ground to cover in as little time as possible. She followed the horses' tracks backwards for an hour now and still didn't find any signs of Daryl. It was past the time they all agreed to go back and she thought he might already be at the farm, but the feeling in her gut told her to keep looking. Knowing she can't afford for the night co catch her while she's still in the forest, she picked up her pace. "Kiba, find Daryl." she asked the dog, hoping his scent might be somewhere around them. The dog sniffed around for a couple of minutes but then just looked at her letting out a small whine. He couldn't pick up any sign of the hunter. She kept following the trail the horse left, the feeling of dread growing in the pit of her stomach. _Dixon, where the hell are you?_

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**That was it from chapter 15! Expect chapter 16 to be up very soon (and keep in mind that, while i will post it up here in a day or two regardless, reviews will make me happy :)) I hope you liked it! Peace.**


	16. Noticing the Little Things

**Hey there, guys :D Here's a new chapter, just for you :) I hope you'll like it :)**

**writergrrrl, BellaBloodryane, MAR76, Forever Fanfiction Lover22 thanks for the feedback, you guys rock :D**

**Lexidarns, first, i'm really glad you like the story, thanks :) As for Lori/Lorry - THANK YOU, id haven't even noticed i've been spelling it ''Lorry". I'm to lazy to correct the already posted chapters but i promise not to make the same mistake in the upcoming chapters :) Thanks again for pointing it out.  
**

**Disclaimer:**

**I own only May and Kiba**

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**Chapter 16: Noticing the Little Things**

The throbbing pain in his head wasn't subsiding. Daryl could hear the nature around him – he heard the water flowing, heard the wind blowing through the leaves, the flutter of bird's wings as they flew up. He tried opening his eyes but it seemed like an impossible mission. Remembering that morning, he wasn't sure how a day that started so right could have gone this wrong. A sudden sound of footsteps caught his attention.

"Why don't y' pull that arrow out, y' dummy. Y' could bind your wound better." a rough, raspy, familiar voice said. He, somehow, willed his eyes in to opening and saw Merle towering over him. The hunter smiled at the sight of his big brother. "Merle…" he uttered, fighting to stay awake. Merle smiled at him as well. "What's goin' on here? Y' taking a siesta or sumthin'?" Merle poked at Daryl. "A shitty day, bro…" Daryl replied weakly. "Want me to get y' a pill? Maybe rub yer feet?" Merle continued taunting Daryl for his own amusement. "Screw you." Daryl told him, still unable to move.

"Yer the one screwed, from the looks o' it. All the years I spent tryin' to make a man outta you, this what I git? Look at ya, lyin' in the dirt like a used rubber. Yer gonna die out here little brother, and for what?"

"Girl… We lost a little girl…" Daryl coughed out weakly. "What, y' got a thing for little girls now?" Merle scoffed. "Shut up…" Daryl barked out at him but Merle continued. "I noticed you ain't out lookin' for Merle no more."

"I tried like hell to find ya, bro…" Daryl said sincerely. "Like hell y' did. You split, let out the first chance you got." Merle replied, sporting a betrayed look on his face.. "You let out. All y' had to do was wait. We went back for ya. Rick and i… We did right by ya…" Daryl told him, wanting to convince his big brother her didn't abandon him.

"That the same Rick that cuffed me to the rooftop in the first place? Forced me to cut off my own hand…" Merle asked and Daryl realized he still had both his hands. He knew that was strange, but couldn't quite figure out why yet. "You his bitch now?" Merle asked derisively. "I ain't nobody's bitch." Daryl replied, frowning. "Yer a joke, is what you are. Playin' arrant boy to a bunch o' pansy asses, naggers and democrats. Yer nothin' but a freak to them. Redneck trash. It's all y'are. They're laughin' at ya behin yer back. You know that, don't ya? I got news for y' son: one of these days, they gonna scrape ya off their heels like you was dog shit. An' that little piece of ass yer chasin' 'round… May, is it? Y' know she too good for ya, y' good for nothin' pussy. She's just lookin' for some fun and then she's gonna dump ya faster than y' can say cornstarch." Daryl started losing consciousness and Merle slapped him lightly. "They ain't yer kin… Yer blood. Listen to me. Ain't nobody ever gonna care 'bout ya 'cept me little brother. Ain't nobody ever will. C'mon, get up on yer feet b'fore I have to kick yer teeth in."

Merle started tugging at Daryl's foot, growling and snarling violently. Daryl came in and out of consciousness before he realized there was a walker gnawing on his boot. A wave of panic took over his body as he started kicking at the bastards head, backing up as best he could. He tried reaching his crossbow, but it was just out of reach. The bastard climbed on top of him, a good chunk of its jaw missing and they started roughing around. The geek was tried pulling Daryl in to take a bite out of his living flesh but that attempt ended with Daryl punching it's head and kicking it, trying to shake it off of him.

He saw another one limping their way out of the forest and a surge of adrenaline kicked in. He grabbed the improvised walking stick and jumped to his feet, knocking the first walker to the ground. He straddled it and smashed it's head in, hitting it with the stick multiple times. The other one was getting closer and closer and, not knowing what to do, Daryl pulled the bolt from his flesh, grunting in pain. Mounting the crossbow was next to impossible due to the sharp pain in his side, but he did it anyway, lodging the bolt in the bastard's forehead.

Gasping for air, Daryl got up. May's face flashed in his mind and he knew one thing – he had to see her, touch her, breathe in her scent… just be with her again.. That meant he had to get out of here alive. He ripped up the rest of his shirt, securing his wound as tightly as possible. "The son of a bitch was right…" he grunted to himself, pulling out his knife and gutting a squirrel he caught earlier. He ate it raw, knowing he was gonna need strength to get out of here alive. When he was done, he secured the doll around his belt and cut of the ears of the two walkers, tying them on a shoelace around his neck and began climbing the cliff again.

"What is it, boy?" Kiba's bark got May's attention. The dog made sure she saw him before he ran through the woods, his nose stuck to the ground. May ran after him, gracefully jumping over obstacles – he found Daryl's scent. Her heart raced as dark thoughts plagued her mind. She could find him hurt ar even worse – bitten. He could be dead, for all she knew, and that wasn't something she was equipped to deal with. Upping their pace, they ran for about fifteen minutes when Kiba suddenly stopped and looked around himself, confused, sniffing the air. He gave her a confused look and she knew he had lost the trail. Feeling a flood of anger and fear come over her, she kicked a tree as hard as she could, grunting angrily. A flock of crows got scared and flew up in the air, screeching. Taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, May looked around, but didn't see any signs of the hunter. "Daryl!" she called out. "Daryl!"

It seemed to him like he'd been climbing for hours now. The steep, muddy cliff made it almost impossible to climb and the fact he had a hole in his body didn't help speed up the process. Daryl was almost at the top again, when the screeching of crow's above his head made him look up. "Please, don't feed the birds." Merle was standing at the edge of the cliff, laughing at him. "What's the matter Darleena? 'S that all y' got in ya?" Merle taunted. "Liked ya better when yer was missin'!" Daryl told him off. "Oh c'mon, don't be like that. I'm on yer side!" Merle replied, laughing. "Oh yeah? Since when?"

"Since the day y' were born baby brother. Somebody had to look after yer worthless ass."

"You never took care of me. Y' talk a big game but y' was never there. Hell, yer not even here now – some things never change."

"Tell yer wat – I'm as real as yer chupacabra!"

"I know what I saw!"

"Yeah, and I'm sure them 'shrooms y' ate had nothin' to do with it."

"Y' best shut tha hell up!"

"Or whaaat?! Yer gonna come up here and shut ma mouth for me? Come on then, if ya think yer man enough." Merle said, still laughing. "Daryl!" he heard a familiar voice calling his name. "Daryl!" the voice called out again. It was May. "Hey, kick off them high heels and climb, son! That little bitch of yers has more balls than y' do. That's why she's never gonna care about ya!" Merle taunted him.

"You shut up, Merle!"

"If I were you, I'd take a fall for the cause. I just don't think yer gonna make it, brother. C'mon… c'mon little brother. Grab yer friend Rick's hand." Merle said, offering him his hand. Daryl grabbed on to the edge of the cliff, ready to pull himself up when he felt two soft hands grab on to his, gripping it tightly.

May called out for Daryl, not really expecting an answer. She was certain he was hurt – his trail would have lead back to the farm if he was fine. She kept on walking, looking for any signs of him when a ruffling in the bushes got her attention. She crouched behind a tree, pulling Kiba down with her and listened. "You shut up Merle!" she heard Daryl's voice coming from the bushes just a couple of feet away. She ran in that direction and got there in time to see his hand grab on to the root of a tree near the edge. She grabbed on to his hand and, after some struggle, pulled him up. She took a closer look at him; his entire body was shaking lightly, most likely from exhaustion, he was scraped, cut and bruised in so many places she couldn't even begin to count and he had blood and dirt smeared all over his face and, really, any exposed skin. Underneath all that caked blood and dirt, though, she noticed he seemed very pale. "Jesus fuck, what happened?" she asked him, as he was gasping for air. He blinked at her a couple of times before he extended his hand out, putting it on her cheek as if he was trying to figure out if she was real or not. She placed her hand atop his and softly repeated the question. "Daryl… What happened?"

He seemed to finally have decided she was real. "The damn horse kicked me off… I fell there" he said, pointing down the steep cliff. "and a bolt… well, y' see." he finished, pointing at his abdomen. Her face scrunched up a bit in worry. It had been a long time, maybe even the first time someone was actually worried about him. "What're y' doin' here?" he asked, realizing she was supposed to be back at the farm hours ago. "I noticed you were missing." she said and he remembered their conversation on the roof of the RV. "Are those walker ears?!" she asked, suddenly noticing his new trophy necklace. He nodded, unable to do anything else. "We can keep that between us…" she said, taking the thing off and putting it in her pack. The fact she didn't throw them away showed Daryl imaginary Merle was wrong – she knew him to the core and did care about him. She got up and helped him do the same. "You look like shit. C'mon, let's go back to the farm." she said, draping his arm around her shoulders for support.

After about an hour and a half of limping through the woods, they reached the edge of the farm. May had been supporting Daryl all the way, trying to relieve the pressure on his wound, even though she noticed it still bleeding. She felt his body tense up more and more with every step and just prayed they reach the farm in time. Suddenly, Kiba let out a loud bark and ran off in to the woods. They stopped, waiting for him, but when, after five minutes, he still didn't return, May started to worry. "Go find tha mutt. I can make it to tha camp." Daryl told her. "No, don't worry, let's just get you to Hershel." May replied calmly, but concern must have been written all over her face. "Just go." he said, giving her a reassuring look. She didn't want to leave Daryl, but she needed to find Kiba. "I'll catch up with you in a minute, I swear." she said, kissing him softly on the lips before she disappeared in the bushes. She found Kiba in a minute, looking up a tree at a squirrel, just out of his reach. "Kiba, c'mon, forget that now." The dog grunted slightly, but left the squirrel alone.

She left the edge of the forest in time to see Rick pointing his gun at Daryl with Shane, T-Dog and Glenn as his backup. "It's tha third time y' pointed that thing at my head – y' gonna pull the trigger or what?" she heard Daryl ask and saw the four men relax. She understood why they thought he was a walker – he looked like death himself. Suddenly, a gunshot sounded out and Daryl fell to the ground. "NO!"

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**Well, that was it for this chapter. Hopefully, you enjoyed it and will review. :) Peace!**


	17. Sweet Sixteen

**Hey guys :D Here's the new chapter! I just wanted to tell you that the updates might be a little less frequent from now on since i got a job on a TV series shoot and a work day on a set is 12 hours so... You see where i'm going with this? :D Now, when i say 'less frequent' i mean every 2 to 4 days - that's okay, right? Anyway, i hope you'll like the chapter and will review :)**

**BellaBloodrayne - i thought so too! My dog is very well trained, smart and all that bu he sees a cat and i all i can do is pray it goes up a tree :D I had a lot of fun writing the Andrea bit so i hope you like it. Thanks for the review ;)**

******Forever Fanfiction Lover22** thanks for the review! As for Andrea, what would you do to her if she shot your man? :) I hope you'll appreciate May's reaction :)  


**NESSAANCALIME6913, here it is! :D Thanks for reviewing :)**

**writergirrl - Gun of doom? Nice :D Hope you'll like the new chapter. Thanks for the review :)**

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**Chapter 17: Sweet Sixteen**

"No!" she screamed out, falling to her knees next to Daryl's limp body. She felt her heart beating in her throat – he can't be dead. Rick let out the same animalistic "No!" she did, as people ran out of the house and the camp. "Shit, Daryl… please don't die on me…" May muttered out in almost a whisper, a tear rolling down her cheek. Her hands were shaking as she placed two fingers on his neck, checking for pulse. She heard people talking but didn't understand them. Daryl suddenly gasped for air and she realized he was alive – the bullet just grazed the side of his head. Rick and Shane hoisted him up, helping him to his feet. "Is she kiddin'?" Daryl muttered out before losing consciousness and May didn't understand who he was talking about until she saw Andrea run up to them. "Oh my God! Oh my God, is he dead?" she heard the blond ask. "Unconscious. You just grazed him."

It was like a red curtain covered May's eyes. She felt her body rise from the ground, every one of her muscles tense with anger. She slowly walked over to the blond, not causing any suspicion. It all happened in a matter of seconds; suddenly and violently, she punched her in the face. Andrea stumbled back a bit, but stayed on her feet. May quickly grabbed her shoulders and pushed her forcefully, knocking her to the ground. The angry woman defending her man straddled Andrea's torso, making sure she couldn't move her arms and punched her twice in the face before she grabbed her hair with both hands and started violently smashing her head against the ground. "You stupid fucking bitch! Fuck you and your fucking guns!" she roared angrily, suddenly getting up and leaving her on the ground. She stopped for a moment and turned back around, making the blond flitch. "I won't hold back this much next time." she griped out, frowning at her. She didn't aim to do any serious damage and the ground was soft and moist so the blond had a headache at best, but she got her point across. _If she every hurts him again I will end her._

"Calm down!" Glenn told her, as they followed Rick and Shane who were taking Daryl to the house. "What happened? Your grids were the furthest apart, how'd you find him?" Dale asked. She didn't want to answer their questions, she didn't care about them. Right now, the only thing she cared about was making sure Daryl was alright. "Hey guys, isn't this Sophia's doll?" T-Dog asked, picking a rag doll Daryl must have found and brought of the floor. May saw a small smile break it's way on to Rick face as both he and Shane stopped. Sophia might be alive.

*WDWDWDWD*

"I found it washed up on the creek bed right there. She must 'ave dropped it crossin' it somewhere." Daryl said, pointing at the map as Hershel checked out his wounds. "Cuts the grid almost in half." Rick said hopefully to Shane. "Yer welcome." Daryl muttered out.

"How's he looking?" May asked Hershel. "I had no idea we'd be going through the antibiotics so quickly. Any idea what happened to my horse?" he asked, obviously unhappy about the entire situation. "The one that almost killed me? If it's smart it left the country." Daryl spat out angrily, making May snicker. "We call that one Nelly – as in Nervous Nelly. I could have told you she'd throw you if you bothered to ask." Hershel said, walking up to Rick. "It's a wonder you people have survived this long." he said, honestly surprised. "I found her in the woods and sent her back to the farm – I'm certain she'll be back by morning." May told the old man, reassuring him. Rick and Shane nodded and were ready to leave the room when Rick realized May didn't move. He gave her a questioning look and she just shrugged, taking a wet towel from Hershel, helping him clean Daryl's wounds. Rick smiled lightly and left them alone.

After Daryl was stitched and cleaned up, Hershel left him to rest. May stayed, sitting by his bed the way he did for her just yesterday. She was curled up in the armchair by the bed like a cat. The sun had set and the only light in the room was a table lamp by the bed. "Were you hallucinating Merle when I found you?" she asked him, remembering she heard him talking to Merle. Daryl looked away, but nodded. "What did he say?" she asked, frowning slightly, remembering how angry and hurt he seemed when she found him. "Nothin' smart." Daryl answered, looking her straight in the eyes. She smiled and got up, taking her boots off. She lifted the covers and crawled in to bed with him, making sure he was comfortable. They were both lying to their sides, facing each other, May stroking his cheek gently. "Don't ever scare me like this again or I'm gonna have to kick your ass, Dixon." she said, planting a kiss on his lips. He scoffed. "Rick told me y' beat tha crap outta Andrea." he said, looking at her quizzingly. "Yeah… Well, she shot you in the head." May replied, not feeling any guilt at all. "Besides, I was careful not to break anything – she'll just be bruised for a while." she added, making Daryl laugh harder which caused him pain. "Oh, sorry…" she said softly, placing a hand on his bare chest.

The door slowly opened and May all but fell out of bed, scrambling up to the chair as if nothing happened. Carol walked in, carrying a tray with two plates of food and two glasses of wine. "Brought you some dinner. You must both be starving." she said, placing the tray on the bedside table. She leaned in and pecked Daryl on the cheek. "You need to know something." she said, looking at Daryl softly. "You did more for my girl today than her daddy ever did in his life. That goes for you too." she added, turning to May. May just nodded in reply. "Didn't do anythin' Rick or Shane wouldn't 've done." Daryl grunted out. "I know. You're every bit as good as them. Even better." she said, before leaving the room. Daryl seemed dazed by what he heard.

"Hey, what's wrong?" May asked, crouching by his bed. "What'd y' tell Rick?" he asked, looking up at her. "Wha… when?" she asked, confused by the question. "Yesterday, when I left to look for Sophia; what'd y' tell 'im? Cause, he apologized when I came back, mentioned somethin' about y' bein' right." May blushed slightly, her fingers suddenly becoming the most interesting thing in the world. "I… scolded him for implying you'd stop looking for her because you 'didn't owe us anything' and told him you were a good man and that he should start treating you as such." She said this quietly and really fast, but Daryl heard all of it. "What're y' doing over there – git in." he said, raising the covers for her to crawl under. They ate and soon after fell asleep, Daryl holding her close.

Tomorrow morning, they woke up and May helped Daryl back to his tent. She laid him down and went to get some water when she ran in to Andrea. She had a nasty bruise on her right cheek but was otherwise fine. "You held back." she told May, walking up to her. "You're a lousy shot – you got a lousy beating." May replied calmly. She didn't want to be angry and she didn't want to be in bad relations with anyone. "Look, I'm not gonna apologize for hitting you, especially since we both know I could have done a much better job at it had I wanted to." Andrea nodded. "You were protecting our group. But don't ever shoot again unless you're certain you're shooting at the enemy. You know what they say – with great power comes great responsibility and all that shit." she turned around and walked back to the tent, but Andrea followed her. "Are we good?" she asked, walking beside May. "We're good." she replied with a slight smile.

Andrea followed her to the tent where she helped her fill bottles with the water she just brought. Daryl was lying in the open tent the entire time, poking holes in it with a bolt. "If you keep that up, we won't have anywhere to sleep." May scoffed. "I'm bored t' death." he replied, continuing to poke the tent. Andrea walked up to the tent. "Hey…" she rummaged around her bag for a while and handed him a book. "This is not that great, but…" she finished with a shrug. Daryl took it and flipped through a couple of pages. "What, no pictures?" he asked jokingly. Both May and Andrea let out a little laugh. "I'm so sorry, I feel like shit." she said earnestly. "Yeah… Y' and me both." he replied, leaning back more comfortably. "I don't expect you to forgive me but if there's anything I can do…" she trailed off. "You were tryin' t' protect the crew. We're good." Andrea nodded and got up to leave the tent when Daryl spoke again. "But hey, you shoot me again, you best pray I'm dead." May looked at Andrea. "You best prey both of us are." May smiled at her, letting her know she did mean it but that they really were good and Andrea left.

May laid beside Daryl, resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, playing with her hair. "I'm going out to look for Sophia again today." she said, drawing on his chest with her finger. "By y'rself?" he asked, frowning at the thought. "You know it's easier that way – you prefer going alone. Besides, I'll have Kiba with me." He still didn't seem satisfied. "Don't tell me you're gonna start being all over protective and shit?" she asked, laughing at the thought. "That's funny comin' from the woman who beat up Andrea for grazin' me with a bullet." Daryl replied, obviously amused. "She shot you in the head and just didn't do a very good job. Besides, I held back. I punched Shane harder for less." Daryl remembered when he pulled her off of Shane back at the quarry; she was punching the shit out of him because he said something about Daryl she didn't like. He felt a pang of guilt for ever doubting she cared about him. "Anyway, I'm off, we gotta plan the search for today." She kissed him lightly and he pulled her in for a deeper, more passionate kiss. "Take care." he said, pointing his finger at her, as if warning her that there were going to be consequences if she doesn't. "I always do." May replied with a smile, grabbed her bow and quiver and winked at him as she left.

She walked up to the rest of the group and ran in to Glenn. "Hey, what's up?" she asked cheerfully. "Nothing's up. Nothing at all." he replied nervously. "Here, have a peach." He said, shoving a fruit in her hand. "You're keeping a secret!" May said, realizing she knows that look. "Shit. Don't ask me anything, please." he plead. "I wasn't going to, it's not for me to know. But you really need to learn to lie." she said with a smirk. She heard Rick call for them to come to the map.

"The creek flows south next to that farmhouse Daryl found. Maybe Sophia dropped her doll there, and then the current brought it down stream." Rick said, pointing at the map. "So you think she took this road and then headed north?" Shane asked. "What's up that way?" May asked Jimmy. "A housing development, built maybe… 10 years ago." Rick turned to Shane. "Take the run up there, after gun practice. I'll hold down the fort here but take back up. After what went down with Daryl, I don't want anyone going out there alone. We stay in pairs." Rick said, giving May a stern look. "I'll take your suggestion on the partner." Shane said pompously. "See how they do on the range and then take your pick. You too, May – it's best if the rookies aren't alone" Rick said and Shane walked away. "Is there no way to convince you to let me go alone? I'd have Kiba with me." May asked. "And something happens to you and Daryl kills me? I don't think so." Rick said jokingly. She scoffed, blushing slightly. "You were right about what you said." he said suddenly.

"About what?"

"About Daryl. I was out of line to speak like that." Rick explained earnestly. "I know. I'm glad you do too, though." she replied with a smile. She wasn't sure when it happened, but she and Rick became friends. "You know, it would be much safer if I went in to the woods alone. I'm quieter than anyone, even Daryl and I can protect myself but i can't guarantee I could protect both myself and someone else. I spent the last seven years of my life practically living in the woods, Rick." May said, hoping to persuade him. He looked at her, thinking about it. "Fine, but be careful and if you think you're I any danger just turn back." he said, finally, giving her a stern look. "Rick!" they heard Lori call out and, when they turned around they saw Carl, who got better and was allowed to help around a bit, sitting there looking guilty, while Lori was disarming a gun. Apparently, Carl had the gun on him. "How the hell did this happen?" Lori asked angrily looking around for another guilty party.

"It's my fault… I let him in to the RV. He said he wanted a walkie, that you sent him for one." Dale explained. "So on top of everything else, he lied? What's he thinking?" Lori asked, exasperated and disappointed. "He wants to learn how to shoot." Shane explained. "He asked me to teach him, now… It's none of my business but I'm happy to teach him. It's your call." he added. "Well I'm not comfortable with it." Lori said, looking at Rick for support. May, Rick and Shane all exchanged looks knowing that it would be a useful and potential lifesaving skill to have. "Oh, don't make me out to be the unreasonable one!" Lori said, realizing what they were thinking. "I know, I have my concerns too, but…" Rick started, but Lorry cut him off. "There's no but, he was just shot! He's just back on his feet and he wants a gun?!" she said, angrily. "Better than him being afraid of them. There are guns in camp for a reason, he should learn to handle them safely." Rick said, trying to convince his wife. "I don't want my kid walking around with a gun." Lori replied assuredly.

"How can you defend that? You can't let him go around without protection." Rick asked, looking her straight in the eye. "He's as safe as he'll ever be right here. Look, everything you're saying makes perfect sense, but it feels wrong. I mean, I didn't feel good about him following you in to the woods, I should have said something and I'm sorry I didn't." Lorry said, playing the emotional card. "He's growing up, thank God. We gotta start treating him more like an adult." Rick tried convincing her. "Then he needs to act like one. He's not mature enough to handle a gun." Lori said angrily turning to Carl.

"I'm not gonna play with it mom, it's not a toy." Carl suddenly spoke, walking up to them. "I'm sorry I disappointed you, but I wanna look for Sophia and I wanna defend our camp. I can't do that without a gun." May looked at the boy for whom she did so much to save and felt a glimpse of pride. "Shane's the best instructor I know. I've seen him teach kids younger than Carl" Rick said giving his wife a convincing look. "What he said just now was very mature." May added. She paused for a moment, contemplating, sighed and walked over to her son, cupping his chin in her hand. "You will take this seriously, you will behave responsibly and if I hear from anyone in this camp that you are not living up to our expectations…"

"He won't let you down." Rick cut her off, looking at Carl meaningfully. "Yeah." the boy said, nodding assuringly. Moments later, they were packed up and ready to drive off for shooting practice. May decided to go looking for Sophia when they leave. "Glenn, you coming?" Shane asked. "I gotta help Dale clean the spark-plugs on the RV, said he was gonna teach me mechanics. I should probably go find him…" Glen replied and May instantly recognized that all too obvious look on his face – he was lying. "You found me." Dale replied, leaning against a tree. He took a moment to look at Glenn, as if deciding what to say. "He's a good learner." he said, finally, pointing at Glenn. Shane shrugged and they were on their way.

"We'll, I'm off to talk to Hershel and then I'm off to look for Sophia." May said, giving Glenn a suspicious look. He just nodded and she went over to the stables, looking for Hershel. He was there and so was the horse May met in the woods – Nelly. "She came back?" she asked starting up a conversation. "Before I woke up, just like you said she would." he replied, unbuckling the saddle. "I wanted to thank you for all your hospitality and help. We would have surely lost at least three more people if it wasn't for you so… thank you. If there is anything I could do to repay you…" May started earnestly but saw the look on Hershel's face and trailed off. "There's no need for that. I understand that you'll be leaving for Fort Benning soon so I wouldn't want to trouble you." the man answered, giving her the end-of-conversation look. May's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she realized what he was saying – he wasn't going to let them stay. She nodded as politely as she could and left the stable, heading for the forest.

The forest air always made things seem better to her but, either the Georgian woods didn't offer what Alaskan did, or this problem was bigger than she was willing to consider. He'll probably let them stay until Carl's all healed up, but what about Daryl? _He shouldn't travel in that condition. Plus, we haven't found Sophia yet._

Suddenly, Kiba started growling, his fangs out and ready to attack. May got down, barely breathing and started listening. She heard snarls and dragging footsteps, which could only mean one thing – walkers. The one thing that got her really worried was the fact that it sounded as if there was multiple walkers. She raised her head slowly, peering from behind the bush she was hiding in only to see a group of eight walkers going in her general direction. _Shit. _She motioned Kiba to follow her as she crawled away slowly, hoping to go undetected. That didn't work out, though, as a very loud pheasant that was hiding in a bush behind her flew out screeching. The walkers headed for the bush immediately and May got up, running in the opposite direction. She heard Kiba growl and saw two more walkers in front of her.

May turned north, leading the walkers away from the farm. That was her plan for now cause she wasn't sure how she was going to handle ten walkers at once. Three more were stumbling through the woods a little to their left and May realized they were surrounded. Kiba was growling the entire time, his fur furrowing at his back. He truly was frightening like this, only that wasn't going to do much for them against the walkers. She stumbled through the forest, geeks at her heels when she decided there was only one way out – fight.

"Kiba, go to Daryl and stay!" she ordered the dog, but he didn't move. "Go, NOW!" she screamed at him and he reluctantly ran off, disappearing in to the greenery. Some of the geeks turned to follow him. "Hey, bastards! Over here!" she shouted, grabbing their attention. She kept running away from where the farm was, even though they were already far away. First chance she got, she scrambled up a tree, climbing quickly and skillfully. All the geeks gathered under the tree, scraping at the bark as they tried to reach her. _One, two three… fourteen geeks – twelve arrows. _She climbed a little higher up the tree, finding a sturdy branch that she was certain can hold her weight. One by one, she started taking out the geeks. Sadly, two more wondered over and she was now four arrows short. She sent out the last arrow so forcefully it went through one geeks' head and hit the one behind him in the eye leaving her with three hungry walkers still intact, waiting for her to slip and become their lunch. _What now?_

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**That's it for this chapter!  
**

**Are any of you guys feeling like you were on drugs and then just went cold turkey? I am in a serious need of some Walking Dead and it's only April. October never seemed more far away...**

**At a happier note IT'S SPRING! It's so super sunny and warm in Belgrade i feel like i spent the last few days running on solar energy :) Spring 3 (sorry, had to share my enthusiasm)**

**Anyways, i hope you enjoyed the chapter :) Peace!**


	18. Survival Instinct

**Here's chapter 18! I won't keep you waiting any more - enjoy and review :)**

**writergrrrl, today's not Daryl's day to shine, but he will get to be a hero in relatively near future :) Thanks for the review!**

**BellaBloodrayne, no more waiting, here it is! :D Thanks for reviewing ;)**

**southern hickup, she got out of this one injury free. Still, who knows what the future holds :D Thanks for reviewing :)**

**Disclaimer:**

**I own only May and Kiba**

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**Chapter 18: Survival Instinct**

May had been sitting in a tree for an hour now and three geeks were still beneath her, waiting for her to slip up so they could have her for lunch. _At least Kiba is safe… _She was weighing her options, realizing there weren't many when a bark somewhere from the woods got their attention. She took her opportunity, jumping down on one of the geeks, embedding her hunting knife in its head. It must have been dead for a long time as even its bones were brittle and soft – her knife went straight through the head and got stuck in the scull. She pulled at it frantically when she felt one of the bastards grab her ankle. The creatures' rotting hands scraped the ground trying to tear at her flesh when she kicked it in the head, scrambling to her feet as both of the geeks were dangerously close. She grabbed the knife she had hidden in her boot and, before she could decide which one to attack first, Kiba lunged out of nowhere at the bigger one, knocking it to the floor and quickly moving away from its reach. This gave May the chance to kill the one that was still going after her. She kicked it in the stomach, knocking it to the ground, straddled it and stabbed between the eyes. The one Kiba knocked down was back to his feet and ready to eat her when she swiftly buried her knife under its jaw up its head and straight in the brain, bits of blood and gore splattering all over her face.

As the walker dropped to the ground, her legs gave in and she fell to her knees. Kiba ran over to her, sniffing her trying to figure out if she was fine. "You are the best friend ever." she whispered, pulling her wolf-like, unusually big dog in to a hug. He wagged his tail lightly and she let him go, still gasping for air. She decided it was time to call it a day; she picked up all her arrows from the dead walkers, cleaning most of the gore and blood off by stabbing them in the ground and pulling them back out. After she was done, she headed back to the farm, all the way careful not to run in to any more geeks.

She reached the farm in time to see a car park by the camp and two figures she identified as Shane and Andrea leave the car. She slowly walked across the field, Kiba at her heel, heading to the main camp. Rick spotted her before she reached them and reached her before she reached the camp. "What happened? Are you alright?" he asked in a voice that she thought was overly worried. "I'm fine, I just got in a little fight with some geeks. Why the overreaction?" instead of answering he motioned at her from head to toe with his hand. She looked down and realized she was completely covered in walker blood. "Oh… that. You should see the other guys." she said, smiling widely. She saw Hershel on the other side of the field, fixing a fence and remembered their conversation from before. "Rick, Hershel isn't gonna let us stay here, is he?" she asked as they slowly walked back to the camp. "I'm working on it…" he replied, his voice dripping with uncertainty. "Well, if you need any help, just holler." May said, giving him a reassuring look. He smiled at her gratefully and she patted him on the back before heading to Daryl's and hers tent.

Daryl spent most of his day lying in the tent and was getting a little stir-crazy. He wasn't used to lying around the entire day and he was already longing for the freedom the woods provided. All that wouldn't have been that bad if he wasn't worried the entire day; May was in the woods with no one but Kiba with her, looking for Sophia. He knew that if anyone could protect themselves that it was her, but that didn't stop the dark thought plaguing his mind. It was late afternoon when he saw a tall, lean figure sporting a cat like walk approach the tent followed by what seemed like a wolf alpha – they were back. The closer she got, the more obvious it was that she was completely covered in caked blood and gore. _What tha hell? _She lay on the ground in front of the tent, taking a deep breath.

"I'm fine, it's all walker blood, not mine." she said, knowing what he was going to ask. "What 'appened?" he asked, rising up to a semi sitting position. "Sixteen walkers is what happened… I was either very unlucky or there's more of them in the woods than we thought. I was lucky Kiba came back for me." she replied flatly. He gave her a puzzling look. "I couldn't run back to the farm, I'd just lead them here and Kiba can't climb trees so I told him to go back to the farm. I spent the next hour and a half stuck in a tree. Turned out I had more walkers than arrows. In the end, it also turned out it takes more than sixteen walkers to kill an Alaskan ranger and her best friend." she finished with a smile. The smile slowly faded though, leaving a tired, serious expression on her face. "You were right… I shouldn't have been out there alone. None of us should." She sighed heavily before getting up. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up, I'll be back soon." Instead of a reply, Daryl nodded.

Half an hour later, May left the Greene family farmhouse clean and wearing clean clothes. Tomorrow, she was going to tell the group the details of her encounter but for right now, she just wanted to go to sleep. As she left the house, she ran in to Glenn. "Hey! Where have you been all day?" he asked, walking up to her. They went to the campfire and took a seat there. "Well… I was chased up a tree by sixteen walkers. What about you?" she said in a tone you'd use to say you just had a cup of coffee. Glenn played along. "Oh, that sounds fun. I went on another run in to town with Maggie and then saved her from a walker who nearly bit her head off." he replied using the same tone. "Oh, but I got you these." he added, handing her a paper bag. She looked inside and found what looked like a year's supply of contraceptive pills. She took them gratefully, stuffing them in her bag. "Jesus fuck, Glenn, when did things get so messed up?" May asked, drawing on the ground with a stick. "Most likely when the dead started walking... I could be wrong, though." the Korean said, burying his face in his hands. "Is Maggie alright?" she asked, lifting her gaze up to meet his. "She will be. She just never got attacked before…"

"Ugh… The first time's the worst." May said, scoffing slightly at the absurdity of their conversation. Nobody should be talking that lightly about almost losing their life, yet that became such an integral part of their everyday life it almost stopped fazing them. May saw Rick and Lori talking a little ways further, both of them seeming upset. She frowned slightly, but decided it was none of her business. "I'm gonna go to bed now. It's been a long day…" she said and Glenn nodded, wishing her a good night.

"I'm back." Daryl heard her call out before she reached the tent. "Hey." he replied, making room for her to lie down. She crawled in, collapsing by his side. He pulled her closer to him and she let him, snuggling her face in the crook of his neck. "I'm so tired…" he heard her whisper lightly, her lips gently touching his skin as she spoke. Her slow and steady breathing told him she fell asleep. With a little smile, he pulled a blanket over them both, never letting go of her, and soon fell asleep himself.

The next morning, they were all having breakfast at the camp fire. Dale gave Daryl his travel chair, something for which May was grateful, seeing as how he was still pretty hurt. She kept trying to sneak her food on his plate when he wasn't looking and he kept catching her, making it a fun game. She noticed Glenn stood up, facing them all.

"Umm… guys." he started, but it seemed Dale and May were the only ones really listening. "So… The barn's full of walkers." he said suddenly, getting everyone's attention. "What?!" They immediately left their food and went to the barn to investigate. When they got there, Shane walked up to the door, peering in through a crack. After a moment, he turned around walking away from the door.

"You cannot tell me you're alright with this." he said to Rick, furiously. "No I'm not, but we're guests here, this isn't our land." Rick replied. "These are our lives, man!"

"Lower your voice." Glenn scolded him. "You can't just sweep this under the rug." Andrea said derisively. "Listen to me – we either gotta go in there and we gotta make things right or we just gotta go. Now we've been talking about Fort Benning for a while…" but Rick cut him off. "We can't go!" he said firmly. "Why, Rick, why?!"

"Cause my daughter's still out there." Carol said suddenly. "I think it's time that we all just start to consider the other possibilities…" Shane started nervously. "No! We're not leaving her behind." May said sharply, pointing a threatening finger at him. "We're so close to findin' this girl, I just found her damn doll a few days ago!" Daryl said, becoming restless as well. "You found her doll, Daryl, that's what you did – you found a DOLL!" Shane said, giving Daryl a cocky look. "You don't know what tha hell yer talkin' 'bout!" Daryl shouted, walking up to Shane threateningly. Rick stood between them, trying to calm Shane down – unsuccessfully. They were shouting over each other and you couldn't understand what they were saying until Rick gave up and Shane was the only one talking. He turned to Daryl.

"Let me tell you something else, man. If she was alive out there and saw you coming all miffed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck, she'd run in the other direction!" Shane shouted in Daryl's face. This caused them both to jump at each other. May stood in front of Daryl, placed a hand on his chest and pushed him back gently whispering "He's not worth it." as she did. Glenn, Rick and Lori had to push the infuriated Shane away.

"Get your hands off me." he said to Lori, angrily. "You gotta let me talk to Hershel. Let me figure it out." Rick said. "WHAT ARE YOU GONNA FIGURE OUT?!" Shane was practically foaming at the mouth. Lorry pushed him back shouting "Enough!" as he pushed back. "If we're gonna stay, if we're gonna clear this barn I have to talk him in to it! This is his land!" Rick said sharply.

"Hershel sees those things in there as people. Sick people. His wife, his step-son…" Dale started explaining. "You knew?" Rick asked, seeming flabbergasted. "Yesterday, I talked to Hershel." Dale replied. "And you waited the night?!" Shane asked aggressively. "I thought we could survive one more night – we did. I was waiting till this morning to say something but Glenn wanted to be the one."

"The man's crazy, if Hershel thinks those things are alive…" Shane screamed, but suddenly the walkers started banging at the door of the barn, their snarling getting louder and everyone except for Rick, May and Daryl backed up in fear.

Rick was going to talk to Hershel about the barn so the rest of them went back to their chores and duties around the camp. Daryl saw May go back to their tent and decided to take a horse and go look for Sophia. He still felt pulsating pain in his side, but ignored it, preparing a saddle. "You can't!" Carol's voice broke through the stable as she walked up to him. "I'm fine!" he said angrily, continuing what he was doing. "Hershel said you needed rest to heal." she said in a softer voice. "I don't care…" Daryl muttered ignoring his own heavy breathing and the still rising pain in his abdomen.

"Why you? Rick's going out later to follow the trail." Carol continued pleading. "I ain't just gonna sit around an' do nothin'." he said, still going about preparations. "No, you're gonna go out there and get yourself killed." she said more sternly. "We don't know if we're gonna find her, Daryl." he heard the mother say and slowly turned to face her. "We don't… I don't…" she continued, obviously hurting. Daryl couldn't believe his ears. There were two people on the farm he knew haven't given up on Sophia – Carol and May – and now Carol's saying this and May is nowhere to be found. "What?" he asked, still in disbelief. "We can't lose you too. " He dropped his bag on the floor. "Think about what that would do to May." Carol continued pleading as he grabbed the saddle and forcefully threw it across the stable. He felt a sharp pain shoo through his side. "Are you alright?" Carol asked, running up to him. "What's going on?" a familiar voice came from the stable entrance – May was there with her tracking bag and weapon, obviously planning to head out.

After their morning scuffle by the barn, May headed for the tent to get her things and go out looking for Sophia again. She decided she was going to take one of the horses – it would be faster. "Kiba, today you're staying here, okay? Go take care of Carl." she said, sending the dog to the boy, knowing they enjoyed each others' company. The dog let out an unsatisfied grunt, but walked away. After packing up, she headed for the stables. The first thing she saw when she got there was Daryl throwing a saddle and bending over in pain with Carol trying to stop him. "What's going on?" she asked calmly, careful not to upset him any more then he already was. "Just leave me be! Stupid bitches!" Daryl said, walking away, but not before he shot her a nasty glance.

Carol stood there, flabbergasted by what happened, tears silently rolling down her cheeks. "Carol, what happened?" May asked, walking up to her. She was going to be angry with Daryl later. "He was gonna go out and I tried to stop him…" she explained shakily. "And that set him off? He's not supposed to be walking too much, let alone riding in the woods…" May said, pulling out a tissue and cleaning Carol's face softly. "Don't worry Carol, I'm heading out now to look for her. We'll find her." she added, giving her an assuring look. "We don't know that…" Carol started again. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that I won't stop looking until we do. And I know that, if he doesn't get himself killed before that, neither will Daryl." Carol gave her a shaky, grateful look and May hugged her.

Fifteen minutes later, she was already out in the woods, searching for the little, lost girl. She was faster with a horse and reached unexplored parts of the wood in under an hour. She ran in to an occasional walker and killed it off, but other than that she found nothing. She was pissed at Daryl – she knew how he was and that he didn't mean it, but that didn't mean she had to take it. _If he can act like a jerk, I can be mad about it. _Still, there was a low, boiling feeling in her stomach that told her she wasn't as tough as she thought. She hated the idea of fighting with him simply because she knew her capacity for forgiveness was bottomless and she didn't want him to think he can just go off like that without consequences. It was past noon when she turned around and headed back to the farm.

Daryl spent the morning hiding away at the edge of the farm. He was pissed about being hurt and having to stay at the farm. He was pissed they still haven't found Sophia. He was pissed at May for going out by herself after what happened yesterday. Still, most of all, he was pissed at himself for how he acted. After what he said, he wasn't sure if he was capable of repairing things with May or if she'd even want to. He decided to start with Carol. He found her at the camp fire. "Carol… c'mon." he said, passing by. She gave him an odd look but followed him anyway. "I gotta show y' somethin'." he said, taking her to the nearby creek.

"Y' see it?" he asked, pointing at a bush of white flowers. "See what?" she asked a bit sharply. Instead of saying anything, he took her all the way to the bush. It was covered with freshly blossomed Cherokee roses. "We'll find 'er." The look on her face softened as she realized why he brought her here. He scratched behind his head uncomfortably. "Hey… I'm sorry 'bout what happened this mornin'." he said as earnestly as he could. "You wanted to look for her… Why?" the mother asked. "This all time I just wanted to ask you." she added, giving him an expecting look. "'Cause I think she's still out there." he answered, assured in his words. "The truth is… what else I got ta do?" Carol gave him a soft look, before walking up to the bush and taking one of the petals gently between her fingers, careful not to pluck it off. "We'll find her. We will. I can see it now." she said, turning to him. "But you have someone else who's also counting on you. Just because she's strong doesn't mean you don't have to worry about breaking her." She was talking about May and he knew she was right. He couldn't have found a better woman even before the world ended. Slowly they headed back to the farm.

May left the horse in the stables and headed for the large group of people at the back of the house. She saw Daryl and Carol walk up from the other side of the yard as well. _Seems they worked it out._ Kiba ran up to her, happy to see her. They reached the group at about the same time. "There y' are. What the hell?" Daryl said to T-Dog and Andrea who seemed a bit agitated. "Rick told us he was going out." Carol added, looking at them quizzically. He also told May he'd be going out to look for Sophia. Why were they here?

"Dammit, isn't anybody takin' this seriously? We got us a damn trail." Daryl barked at them. He turned around, as did May and saw Shane walking up to them, carrying what seemed like most of their guns. "Ah, there we go." Daryl said, pointing at Shane. He walked up to him, asking "What's all this?" Shane handed him a riffle. "You with me, man?" he asked, pumped up for fighting. Daryl grabbed the riffle and nodded, following Shane. "You got yours?" the policeman asked Andrea. "Yeah. What's all this about?"

"Look, it was one thing standing around picking daises when we thought this place was safe, but now we know it ain't!" Shane said, looking at every one of them. "What about you Glenn? You gonna protect yours?" he asked, handing him a riffle. Glenn gave Maggie a reluctant look, but took the gun. Shane turned to Maggie. "Can you shoot?"

"Can you stop? If you do this, if you hand out those guns my dad will make you leave tonight." Maggie said, trying to dissuade him. "We have to stay, Shane." Carl suddenly said, seeming scared. "What is this?!" Lori asked, walking out of the house. "We ain't going anywhere. Now look, Hershel… He's just gonna have to understand. He's gonna have to. Now we need to find Sophia, am I right?" Shane walked up to Carl, offering him a gun. "Now I want you to take this. You take this and keep your mother safe, do whatever you can, you know how…" Lori pushed her son behind her. "Rick said no guns. This is not your call. This is not your decision to make."

"O, shit!" T-Dog's voice got everyone's attention. They turned around to and saw Rick, Jimmy and Hershel pulling in two walkers like stray dogs. May's eyes widened in shock. "What the fuck?!"

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**That's it for today :) I'll try and post again as soon as possible, but keep in mind i have TWELVE HOURS LONG WORKDAYS (and sometimes work nights :P) and only one day off per week O_o Still, i love my job... And i'm tired and have digressed! I'm off to sleep and you guys enjoy and review :D Peace!**


	19. Hard Decisions

**Hey darlings! :D Here's the new chapter - hope you don't hate me for taking so long but i am EXHAUSTED! I hope you'll like the chapter and will review :)**

**BellaBloodrayne, anon thanks for the reviews, you guys are awesome :D**

**Disclaimer:**

**I own only May and Kiba**

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**Chapter 19: Hard Decisions**

"What the fuck?!" was May's reaction to what she saw, and it was spot on. Rick, Hershel and Jimmy were hauling in a pair of walkers as if they were stray dogs. Shane, completely outraged, sprinted towards them. "Kiba, stay!" They all followed him wanting to find out what the hell is going on, but also wanting to try and stop a unnecessary fight.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Shane screamed at Rick as he ran up to him. "Shane, just back off." Rick replied, struggling with the walker. "Why do your people have guns?!" Hershel asked, realizing he was now surrounded by an armed group.

"Are you kidding me?! You see… You see what you're trying to hold on to?!" Shane screamed at Hershel, pointing at the walker he was leading. "I see who am I holding on to!" Hershel replied angrily. "Nah, man, you don't!" Shane spat back. "Let it go and we can talk." Rick said, trying to pacify the situation. "What is there to talk about? These things ain't sick! They're not people! They're DEAD! They don't feel nothing cause all they do – THEY KILL! These things your holding right there, they're the things that killed Amy, they killed Otis, they killed her friend!" Shane pointed at May. "They're gonna kill us all!" He was besides himself from rage. "Shane STOP!" Rick screamed, but to no avail.

"Hey, Hershel, let me ask you something: would a living, breathing person… could they walk away from this?" and with that, he fired three rounds straight to the walkers' torso. "Shane, stop this!" Rick tried again. "That's three rounds in the chest! Someone who's alive, could they take that? Why is it still coming?" he fired two more rounds at the creature. "Two more. What's wrong, why is it still coming?!" Another two rounds. "Shane, enough!" Rick shouted at him desperately. "Hey, you're right man, that is enough." Shane said, shooting the walker in the head. The creature collapsed to the floor pulling Hershel with it. He had a broken look on his face, as did the rest of his household. "Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's GONE! Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us, ENOUGH! Rick, it ain't like it was before!" Shane said, giving Rick a serious look. "Now if y'all wanna live, if y'all wanna survive you're gonna fight for it! I'm talking about fighting RIGHT HERE! Right now!" and he ran up to the barn door, smashing the locks open.

"Hershel, take it now!" Rick screamed, offering him the walker. He wanted to stop Shane, but couldn't release a walker just like that. "Hershel!" but the man didn't seem to notice him. Suddenly, everyone was pleading Shane not to open the barn door. May ran up to him and tried pulling him back but, in the fit of adrenalin, he pushed her away, forcefully, making her fall to the ground. "Shane, please!" Ricks voice plead, but to no avail. Shane opened the door and banged at it twice, stepping back.

May's head was pounding but she managed to scramble to her feet in time to see a herd of walkers spill out of the barn and stumble their way. One of them headed straight for her and, having no choice, she pulled out an arrow, stabbing it in the eye. She pulled back behind the line of gunfire, observing as T-Dog, Andrea, Shane, Daryl and eventually Glenn shot down the geeks as they left the barn. She saw the Greenes sobbing in the Georgian dust as the creatures they considered their family members and friends fell to the ground one by one.

Finally, the gunfire stopped and the barn door just swung open pathetically, a pile of dead walkers in front of it. Everyone lowered their guns, believing no more walkers were coming out. Nobody said anything. The Greene family was crushed; Jimmy was holding the sobbing Beth, Maggie was leaning against her kneeling, devastated father, tears streaming down her face. May and Daryl exchanged odd looks when she suddenly heard a snarl coming from the barn. They all turned their attention to the door, waiting. A moment later, a small figure in a blue t-shirt with a rainbow on it stumbled out of the barn. It was a walker, but more than that – it was Sophia.

"Oh… oh my God. Oh my god! Sophia!" Carol cried, running up to her little girl. Daryl caught her in time to stop her, holding her gently, but firmly from running away again. May felt her heart squeeze and thought it was going to break in to. She heard Carl and Lorry crying behind her. Everyone was devastated by this – all of their hopes were crushed. Then she realized something – nobody moved a muscle to kill her. She knew Rick would be the one who'd take that burden – he always was. She turned to him and saw him pulling his gun out, ready to do it. She reached out her hand and took the gun from him. _No man should make all the tough calls by himself. _

May stepped out as the walker Sophia stumbled towards her, snarling hungrily. May pointed the gun at her head, tears streaming down her face. Sophia looked her straight in the eyes and May felt a stabbing pain spread through her chest. _I'm so sorry we didn't save you. _Knowing she can't risk any more hesitation, she pulled the trigger, hitting Sophia between the eyes. The child's head jerked back, a splash of red covering the ground behind her. She fell to the ground and May could have sworn it was in slow motion. Her legs were about to give out and she willed herself to keep standing. Rick walked up to her, gently took the gun and squeezed her hand reassuringly. He gave her a grateful, sad look that made her come back to reality. She nodded lightly, still not having the strength or courage to turn around and see anyone. She heard Daryl urging Carol not to look, a slight slap and a pair of footsteps walking away. They were short and light so it must have been Carol. A pair of heavier footsteps followed – Daryl went after her. May felt an unfamiliar stab in her chest – she was feeling a slight pang of jealousy. This, in turn, made her feel guilty.

Suddenly, Beth ran up to one of the dead walkers, crying and flipped it over. She put her hand on its face. "Mom…" she said softly, but the creature suddenly came back to life and started pulling her in for a bite. They all jumped at it and managed to separate them with Andrea piercing a scythe through its head. Hershel, Jimmy, Patricia and Maggie led Beth towards the house. The rest of the group came after them, but she stayed by Sophia's body.

They spent the rest of the day digging graves for the loved ones and piling the rest up to be burned. They held a small ceremony that everyone except for Carol attended. Hershel put on a white shirt, a tie and a suit, but all May could see was how utterly lost he seemed. After the funeral, they all went their own ways and May noticed Daryl walking away without sparing her a glance. With a small sigh, she turned and walked back to the house.

As soon as the funeral was over, Daryl headed off, looking for the most remote part of the farm. Carol's words kept ringing in his head. 'Why would I go? That's not my little girl. That's some other… thing. My Sophia was alone in the woods, all this time I thought. But she didn't cry herself to sleep, she didn't go hungry… she didn't try to find her way back. Sophia died a long time ago.' Daryl had never felt like a bigger failure in his life then that day. Sophia, the little girl he wanted to save so badly turned in to a walker. May, who wanted and tried to find her just as hard as he did, had to shoot her in order to keep her from harming anyone else. He had failed and now, he couldn't face her. He couldn't face seeing the eminent disappointment in her eyes.

May needed something to preoccupy her mind. She left her bow and quiver in the house living room and joined Beth at cleaning up the kitchen. She heard Glenn and Maggie talking in the living room and it sounded personal so she tuned it out. Beth handed her a plate and, as May took it, the girl collapsed to the floor. "Oh my God! What happened?" Maggie asked, running up to the in a panic. "I don't know, she just… fell." They lifted her off the floor and took her to her bed.

The frail, blond teenager just lay on her bed, her, now empty eyes slightly open – she was in catatonic shock. After they put her in bed, May and Glenn spent a good half a good fifteen minutes looking for Hershel around the house and the farm, but with no success. Maggie managed to keep her cool and was by her sisters' side, gently stroking her cheek. "Sweetie, can you hear me?" Lori barged in at that moment, probably alarmed by the noise they made. "What's wrong with her?" Maggie asked the room. "She's probably in catatonic shock." May explained as softly as you can explain that. "Where's Hershel?" Lori asked the obvious question. "We can't find him anywhere." Glenn replied, a glimpse of anger sneaking it's way in to his voice. "Lori, go get Rick." May said, turning to the skinny brunette. She nodded and left the room.

Ten minutes later they were all in Hershel's room looking for clues as to where the man might be. His bed was covered with boxes filled with women's clothes, jewelry and other feminine items. "Your step-mother's things?" Rick asked, looking through one of the boxes. "He was so sure she'd recover… they'd just pick up where they left off." Maggie explained.

"Looks like he found an old friend." Shane said, throwing Rick what sounded like an empty flask. "That was my grandfathers. Gave it to my dad when he died." Maggie said, delicately taking the flask. "I didn't take Hershel for a drinker." May said, frowning slightly. "Me neither." Rick agreed. "No, he gave it up on the day I was born. He didn't even allow liquor in the house." Maggie said assuredly.

"What's the bar in town?" Rick asked, walking up to May, Maggie and Glenn. "'Hatlan's'. He practically lived there in his drinking days." Maggie replied. "Then that's where I'll find him." Rick said simply. "Yeah, I've seen the place – I'll take you." Glenn urgently. "I'm coming too." May said and Rick gave her a grateful look. "Good. I'll get the truck." Rick said, heading for the door.

"N-no." Maggie suddenly said, blocking Glenn's path. "It's an easy run." he said, trying to assure her they'll be fine. "Like the pharmacy?" she asked, her voice dripping with fear. "Hey, Maggie…" Rick started, getting the green-eyed girl's attention. "We'll bring him back." May finished, smiling confidently, leaving the room after Rick.

"Rick! You wanna have a conversation about this before you leave?" asked an angry Lori. Shane followed soon after. "You're seriously gonna go after this guy with everything that's going on?" he asked, but to May it seemed more like a jab at Rick's leadership skills. Lorry was on his side. "He's right. This is not the time to head off, not today! You don't always have t…" Rick didn't want to hear it. "I'm not arguing. This is the least I can do for Hershel after we…"

"What? After we what?" Shane asked, leaving the conversation. "Carl said he would have shot Sophia himself. That's your son. He's getting cold, he's growing up in the world where…" Lori stopped, trying to keep her voice from breaking. "He's growing up in a world where he's going to need a father like you. Around. Alive. Not running off solving everybody else's problems."

"It's not just his problems I'm trying to solve! We need Hershel for the baby. I'm going after him. May, let's go." Rick said, walking away from his wife. May stood there for a second, flabbergasted. _Lori is pregnant?! _She turned to the woman. "Lori I promise Rick will come back. I'll make sure he does." she said as reassuringly as she could, following after the sheriff.

She found Rick by the car, loading his gun. She walked over, leaning against the hood of the car. "Congratulations." she said simply, offering him a small smile. He nodded, but said nothing. Glenn left the house, followed by Maggie and they shared a lengthily good-bye. "Where's Daryl?" Rick asked her, realizing they didn't say good bye. "He's… I don't know. We had a… well, it wasn't a fight, that would mean I actually participated… Anyway, it was this morning and we didn't get the chance to talk." May replied, trying to fake that she wasn't upset by it. Rick raised his eyebrows slightly and she knew he saw right through her. "It's fine. I understand him… Hell, I'm not even mad at him, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna chase after him. He'll come back when he's ready." May said and her own words made her feel slightly better. Still, only slightly. She turned to her dog. "Kiba, you stay at the camp and wait for me. Go play with Carl, okay? I'll be back soon, I promise." She gave her dog a hug and heard him whine softly, like he did every time she left him. She ruffled the fur on his head and he walked away, turning back to look at her a couple of times. Glenn came over and the three of them jumped in the car and headed for the bar.

In the beginning, they drove in silence, each of them in their own mindset. May was sitting at the back seat, in the middle, leaning forward so her head was between Rick and Glenn. "Maggie said she loves me." Glenn spoke suddenly. Rick and May gave him slightly surprised looks, both of them holding back their smiles. "She didn't mean it!" Glen said through a nervous laugh. "She can't.. She's just… She's upset, confused, she's probably feeling…"

"You think you're smart enough to know what she's feeling?" Rick asked him, cutting him off. Both he and May snickered slightly. "No… No… No, you're right… But, you know, she wants to be in love so she needs… she needs-… needs something t- to…" Glenn stuttered, but all three of them knew he had no idea where he was going with it. "Look, Glenn, it's pretty obvious that's she loves you, and not just because you're one of the last men standing, so what's the problem?" May asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "I didn't say it back." he said shortly, obviously feeling guilty about it. "I've never had a woman say that to me before, y' know… except my mom, of course… and my sisters… But with Maggie it's different, we barely now each other, wh-what does she really know about me? Nothing…! We're practically strangers… I didn't know what to do with it, I just stood there like a jerk."

"Glenn, this is a good thing! It's… something we don't get enough of these days. Enjoy it." May said, thinking of Daryl. _No, I shouldn't even think about that yet… He's not ready. _"You should return the favor when we get back. It's not like she's going anywhere." Rick added. Glenn turned to May. "What would you do if Daryl said it?" he asked, hoping it would help him decide what to do. "Glenn, darling, we're talking about Daryl. Do you really see a scenario in which he says that first?" she asked sarcastically, holding back laughter. "Yeah… good point…" he said, letting his head hang a bit. She sighed, leaning back in her seat. Rick gave them a slight scoff, but otherwise said nothing.

They reached the town and Rick parked the car. "Rick, I… I know." Glenn suddenly said, giving Rick a meaningful look. "You can say it, I know too." May said, I figuring it was about Lori. "I got her those pills…" Glenn added, his voice fading. "I figured." Rick said, leaving the car. Glenn and May grabbed their weapons and followed after Rick. "I'm sorry I kept it from you." Glenn uttered, obviously feeling genuinely bad. "Don't be. You did what you thought was right. It just so happens that it wasn't." Rick answered, and they stated creeping to the bar entrance.

*WDWDWDWD*

The sound of a knife sliding down a chunk of wood was the loudest sound in the far-out part of the farm so Daryl heard a pair of footsteps approaching him even before he lifted his gaze to find out who they belonged to. "Moving to the suburbs?" Lori asked, walking up to him with purpose. He said nothing and just continued sharpening the bolt he was making. "Listen, Beth's in some kind of catatonic shock and we need Hershel."

"Yeah… So what?" he asked, still not lifting his gaze. "So I need you to run to town real quick and bring him and Rick back." Lori said, but the hunter just kept sharpening the bolt he was making. "Daryl!" she said sterner, and he finally lifted his gaze. "Yer bitch went window shoppin'. You want 'im? Go fetch him yerself. I got better things to do." Daryl said derisively, turning back to the bolt. He didn't care about any of their shit; he just wanted to be alone. "How can you say that? How can you be so selfish?"

"Selfish? Listen to me Olive Oil; I was out there lookin' for that li'l girl every single day! I took a bullet and an arrow in the process so don't ya tell me about gettin' my hands dirty." He was outright angry now. "You want those two idiots, have a nice ride! I'm done looking for people." With that, he sat back down and continued fidgeting with the arrow. Lori was taken aback by what he said. "May's with them." she said, finally, waiting to see his reaction. He froze for a moment, his eyes widening slightly. The thought of her in danger made his blood fell ice-cold. _Is she lookin' for trouble?_

"She's a big girl, she can take care of 'erself." he said flatly, focusing his attention to the arrow again. Lori sighed and walked away. Daryl clenched his fist angrily, snapping the arrow in half, throwing away the pieces in frustration. _Fuck._

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**That's it for now :) I'll post the new one as soon as i get time to write it, i promise! I hope you're okay with May being the one to shoot Sophia, i felt poor Rick had to make all the hard decisions so why not make it a little easier on him :) In any case, review and let me know :) Peace!**_  
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	20. When Out Drinking

**Here's chapter 20! I wanted it to be special, you know... 20 is such a nice, round number. But it just wouldn't write! I ended up having a really hard time writing this one and i'm still not sure if it's any good. Plus, we've had 4 consecutive night shoots so i haven't slept properly in days :P Anyhow, tell me what you think, if it's any good and if i should, perhaps, rewrite it. Review :D**

**writergrrrl, MAR76, Guest, thanks for the reviews :D And, Gues, whoever you might be, i swear i upload as fast as i can but this is solely for pleasure while my job is both pleasure and income - income i need for food, bills, clothes and such :D I've started working on the next chapter (it's my day off! :D) and hopefully i'll have it up soon.**

**Disclaimer:**

**I own only May and Kiba**

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**Chapter 20: When Out Drinking...  
**

Rick, May and Glenn exchanged glances, their weapons at the ready; they nodded to each other and barged in to the bar, ready to fight if necessary. The lowered the weapons as soon as they saw Hershel's figure at the bar. Glenn closed the door behind them. "Hershel?" Rick called out cautiously.

"Who's with you?" Hershel asked, not turning around. "May and Glenn." Rick replied, the three of them cautiously walking up to the man. "Heh… Maggie sent him?" he asked, taking a swing from his glass. "He volunteered, he's good like that." May replied, gaining her a grateful look from Glenn. Rick walked up to the bar while Glenn and May stayed a bit behind, giving them room to talk.

"How many have you had?" Rick asked worriedly. "Not enough…" Hershel replied and the pain in his voice made May's heart hurt. "Let's finish this up back at home." Rick offered, but got no reaction.

"Beth collapsed, Hershel. She's in catatonic shock." May said, hoping this would pull him from the trance he was in. "Is Maggie with her?" the old man asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, but Beth needs you." Rick said persuasively. "What can I do? She needs her mother… Or, rather, to mourn, like she should have done weeks ago. I robbed her of that, I see that now." Hershel took another swing from his glass, still not turning to face them. "You thought there was a cure – you can't blame yourself for holding out for hope." Rick said, trying to dissuade the man from drinking anymore.

"Hope?" Hershel asked, scoffing lightly. "When I first saw you running across the field with your boy in your arms, I had little hope he'll survive." he finished, giving Rick a drunken look. "But he did." Rick replied. "He did. Even though we lost Otis, your man Shane made it back and we saved your boy. That was the miracle that proved to me that miracles do exist. Only it was a sham, a bait and switch. I was a fool Rick and you people saw that. My daughters deserve better than that." Hershel sounded completely broken. He emptied out his glass and took the bottle to fill it up again.

Rick walked over to May and Glenn, giving them a look that asked 'What now?' but not really expecting an answer. "So what should we do? Just wait for him to pass out…?" Glenn asked, sporting the same expression as Rick. "Just go. Just go!" Hershel said, continuing his alcohol indulgence. "I promised Maggie I'll bring you home safe." Rick said in his good-cop voice. Hershel just chuckled. "Like you promised that little girl?"

"So what's your plan? Finish that bottle, drink yourself to death, leave your daughters alone?!" It was May that snapped at him. She didn't have the patience for this bran of weakness; none of them were spared by this shitty situation, they all lost people they loved. She lost people she loved even before the dead rose up. He deeded to man-up and soon. Hershel didn't take well to her tone; he got up and turned around, walking up to her and Rick unstably, while Glenn stayed at the door, keeping watch. "Stop telling me how to care for my family, my farm! You people are like a plague! I do the Christian thing, I give you shelter and you destroyed it all!" he shouted, his face getting red. "The world was already in bad shape when we met." Rick said, getting in to the farmers face. "And you take no responsibility? You're supposed to be their leader!"

"Well I'm here now, aren't i?!" Both men were furious, breathing heavily. Hershel blinked before his shoulders slumped down. "Yes…. Yes… yes you are…" he muttered out, defeated by his failure and sat back at the bar. "Your girl's need you now more than ever." May said, remembering how she felt losing her parents. "Come on." Rick said, trying to help him up. Hershel pushed him away. " didn't want to believe you; you told me there was no cure, that these people are dead, not sick – I chose not to believe that! But when Shane shot Lou in the chest and she just kept coming, that's when I knew what an ass I've been. I knew Annette had been dead long ago and that I was feeding her rotting corpse. That's when knew there was no hope. And when that little girl came out of the barn, the look on your faces… I knew you knew it too, right? There is no hope and you know it now, like I do. Don't you?" They all exchanged glances, but none of them said anything. May saw in Rick's eyes that he lost hope as well. "There is no hope for any of us." Hershel added, gulping down his booze.

"Look, I'm done! I'm not doing this anymore, cleaning up after you… You know what the truth is?" Rick said, before May cut him off. "Nothing has changed! Death is death – it's always been there! Whether it's from disease, a car crash or walkers, it hurts just the same! You didn't think it was hopeless before, did you?" She was getting angry – they needed to go back to the farm as soon as possible, staying here was too dangerous. "There are people back at home who are trying to hang on and they need us, even if it's just to give them a reason to go on, eve- even if we don't believe it ourselves!" Rick said, getting a little mad himself. "You know what? This isn't about what we believe anymore. It's about them." He said that in a no-nonsense voice, looking away from Hershel like he didn't care anymore. The old farmer looked at the sheriff, then looked at the young ranger, gulped down the last of the murky liquid in his glass and put it away. As he did that, they heard the door open and grabbed their weapons, ready to attack if necessary. At the door, they saw two men, one of them short and chubby, looking at them with mild surprise and amusement. The taller one spoke.

"Son of a bitch! They're alive."

A moment later, he was sitting at one of the tables, pouring himself a drink, his friend, Glenn and Hershel stayed by the bar and Rick and May hovered around cautiously. "I'm Dave." the taller one said and May noticed a Philadelphia accent one of the interns at the national park had. "That scrawny looking douche back there is Tony."

"Eat me Dave."

"Hey, maybe someday I will! We met on I95, coming out of Philly. A damn shit-show that was." Dave seemed earnest but for some reason May just didn't like them and didn't trust them one bit. Glenn didn't seem to be having the same problem, though. "Hey, I'm Glenn. It's nice to meet some new people." he said in a cheerful voice. "Rick Grimes." Rick said, giving a shot of whiskey to Glenn, Tony and May and took one for himself. May took hers and drank most of it in one gulp – she didn't want to stay here longer than necessary. Dave checked her out, head to toe, and gave her a suggestive look. "A beautiful women and she can drink."

"Don't get any ideas." she replied, giving him a small smile and a slightly threatening look. He raised his hands as if in surrender, but kept his eyes on her ass a while longer. "How's about you, pal, have one?" he then asked Hershel, noticing Rick never gave him a drink. "I just quit." the drunk Hershel said simply. "You have a unique sense of timing, my friend." Dave said, snickering. "His name's Hershel; he lost people today… a lot of them."

Dave instantly got serious. "I'm truly sorry to hear that." he said, raising his glass. "For better days and new friends and for our dead, may they be in a better place." They all nodded and emptied out their glasses. When Dave leaned over Rick and May could clearly see ha had a gun. He looked over to them and, realizing what they were both looking at, took it out and sowed it to them. "Not bad, huh? I got it of a cop." he said, looking over his weapon. "I'm a cop." Rick said flatly. "This one was already dead."

This caused an awkward silence. May walked over to the bar's door and scoped out what was going on outside. She was ready to leave even before these guys came, she was simply overwhelmed with the feeling that something bad was coming. They heard the men talk but didn't pay much attention to what they said, figuring Rick can take care of whatever it is. Thinking about the events of the day, she felt her heart squeeze when she remembered what she had done – she shot Sophia. It was a walker, yes, but it was Sophia. Before she had a chance to think about it further, to let herself feel anything she sensed a change in atmosphere. She glanced through the window again, noting it was already dark, before she slowly turned around, rejoining the conversation.

"Hold on a second, this farm of yours sound pretty sweet. Don't it Tony?" Dave asked and she had no idea how they reached that topic. The other guy, Tony, was taking a piss right there, as if nobody was around and she felt her face scrunch in to a frown. "Yeah, real sweet." the fat man replied, zipping up his pants. "How about some southern hospitality? We got some guys back at the camp, we've been having a real hard time…" Dave asked and May gave Rick a sharp look, urging him to say 'no'. "Look, I'm sorry, that's not an option." he replied, giving her a short, affirmative look.

There was a long, awkward pause. "Doesn't sound like it'd be a problem." Dave said and May tightened the grip on her bow. "I'm sorry, we can't." Hershel said, still slightly drunk. "We simply can't take in anyone." Rick added and, when Dave tried arguing, he cut him off. "We don't know anything about you."

"That's right. You don't know anything about us. You don't know what we had to go through, the things we had to do. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" Dave asked, and no one said anything. "Ain't nobody's hands clean here. Let's take a nice hayride to that farm and get to know each other."

"That's just not gonna happen." May said, wanting to leave. Now. "That's bullshit!" Tony argued. "Woah, just calm down." Rick tried. "Don't you ever tell me to calm down!" As the fat man shouted, both Rick and May were ready to fight if necessary. Dave jumped over the bar and placed his gun on it. "Now, we're just having a friendly drink! Where's the good stuff?" He bent over and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. "Hey, look at that! That'll work." He opened it and started pouring them a glass each. "You gotta understand, we can't stay out there. You know what it's like."

"Yeah, we do. But the farm is too crowded as is, I'm sorry; you'll have to keep looking." Rick said firmly. Dave gave him an odd look and laughed before he reached for his gun. Before anyone knew what happened, Rick shot him in the head while May launched an arrow in Tony's heart. Rick walked over to him and shot him in the head as well.

Glenn and Hershel seemed flabbergasted. Slowly, Rick and May put away their weapon and exchanged looks and nodded at each other. "Holly shit…" Glenn uttered and May gave him a small pat on the back. "Are you okay?" Rick asked him. "Yeah…" the Asian whispered lightly. "Hershel?" May asked, giving the old man a soft look. After a few seconds, he slowly nodded. "Let's head back."

They looted the guns off the two men and ammo of the two men and headed for the door when a pair of headlights shone a ray of light through the bar. They quickly ducked, their weapons at the ready and waited. The car pared n front and May heard it's door open. They heard a pair of footsteps out front. "Dave? Tony?!" a male voice called out. A couple of other voices joined it, all of the contemplating whether they should come in or not. Their silhouettes passed by the front of the bar, but nobody entered. Rick snuck around, checking to see if the coast was clear through the windows before he crawled back over to them.

"Why won't they leave?" Glenn asked in frustration. "Would you?" Hershel asked and May had to agree with the man. "We can't stay here, we should go out the back door and run for the car." Rick said. They all nodded and, just as they were about to leave, they heard a couple of shots. The people outside realized something was wrong and decided to split up and look for their friends – the ones lying dead on the bar floor. "We're looking for Dave and Tony and nobody checks the bar?" one of the voices said and a pair of footsteps came closer and closer to the door. They all exchanged panicked looks and, as the door slightly opened, Glenn jumped in front of it and slammed it close again. The voices realized they weren't alone. "We don't want any trouble, we're just looking for our friends. If something happened, tell us."

May felt her heart beating in her throat, slightly choking her. She saw all three men were sweating nervously and she realized she'd been squeezing her left fist so tightly her fingernails broke the skin of her palms and her hand was dripping with blood. "They drew on us!" Rick finally shouted in response. Hershel gave him an angry look for saying anything. "Are they in there? Are they alive?" the rough voice asked. "No." Rick answered. They argued whether they should leave or not. Rick tried reasoning with them but they started shooting. "May, get them out of here!" Rick shouted as he drew his gun out, firing back. Suddenly, May was by the back door, Hershel was behind the bar and Glenn was behind the piano, while Rick stayed at the front door. They were separated and stuck.

*WDWDWDWD*

Daryl was roasting a squirrel over the camp fire he made and thinking. It was already night and May hasn't came to their tent. He wasn't surprised after what he said – he never apologized. Why would she come to him when he pushed her away? The sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention.

"We can't find Lori." a voice said and he realized it was Carol. "Dumb bitch must have gone out lookin' for 'em." he replied, not wanting to deal with their drama. "What?" Carol asked, obviously confused. "Yeah, she asked me t' go. Told 'er I was done being an errant-boy."

"And you didn't say anything? None of them are back yet! Rick, Glenn, Hershel… May! They're all still gone." This got Daryl's attention. Suddenly, he was covered in cold sweat; he bolted to his feet and gave her a sharp look. "What d'ya mean 'still gone'?" he asked, hoping not to get the response he knew he was going to get. "They never came back."

"And y'all waited this long to tell me!" For the first time in his life, Daryl was terrified. The prospect of something happening to May left him almost paralyzed, but he shook it off and started gathering his weapons. "Daryl…?"

"I'm goin' to git 'em. And next time, don't wait so fuckin' long to tell me!" Daryl barked out, stil packing. Carol walked away, most likely offended, but he didn't want to deal with it. Moments later, as he was heading for his bike, he saw Shane's car drive off the farm and figured he must be going after them as well but he didn't care. There was no way he was going to leave May's safety in the hands of that idiot. _Daryl, don't you fuck this up._

*WDWDWDWD*

"Hey! We all know this is not gonna end well! There's nothing in it for any of us! You guys just back off and nobody else gets hurt!" Rick was trying to negotiate with their opponents. May always admired him for trying to find a peaceful way out of every situation. A sound of a gunshot told her the men outside didn't share her admiration. Rick and Glenn exchanged looks and Glenn ran over to May. Slowly, they opened the back door and sneaked in.

The room turned out to be the bar's storage. They descended down the stairs as quietly as they could, but they were old and creaky and with every step they were certain someone will hear them and shoot them on the spot. Suddenly, they heard a sound of footsteps outside and the door handle on their intended exit started turning and they saw a silhouette at the murky door glass. Glenn panicked and fired a shot at the door, breaking the glass.

"May! Glenn?!" Rick's panicked voice reached them. "We're fine!" she replied, exchanging an expecting look with Glenn. They snuck up to the door and realized they weren't sure what to do now. A pair of footsteps came from behind them and Glenn turned around hastily, as did May, and they both saw Hershel standing behind them.

"Rick wants you to try for the car." he said. "Try?!" Glenn asked, panic rising in his voice. "Try and succeed. I'll cover you both." Hershel sounded assured, but Glenn gave May a nervous look. "Great plan…" he said slightly sarcastically. May gave him an encouraging smile and a nod before they opened the door and peered out. The coast seemed to be clear. They snuck out, Hershel staying at the door with a gun at the ready.

Suddenly, a couple of gunshots came their way making Glenn duck behind a dumpster and Hershel pull back. May felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder and realized one of the bullets hit her. She was about to curse the universe for creating bullets when she felt something that felt like a crowbar connect forcefully with the back of her head and everything went black.

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**I leave you with this little cliff hanger :) I really hope you'll like the chapter, but i'm just not sure, so please review and tell me what you thought of it :) Peace!**


	21. No Pain, No Gain

**Okay, you guys are awesome! I wasn't going to post this until tomorrow but all your reviews made me post it now. So, this chapter isn't for the faint of heart - be warned there is some graphic violence here so, if that's not your cup of tea, you probably shouldn't read it. Those of you who do read it, please review as i've never written anything like this before and i am wondering if i did a good job or not :)**

**BellaBloodrayne, CreepyDaisy, felicia 2235, MAR76, thanks for the reviews, i really hope you'll like this chapter :)**

**writergrrrl, thanks for pointing it out, i corrected it now :) hope you'll like the chapter! :)**

**cheryl84x thanks for being the stories 80th follower :D**

**wildcat717 thanks for being the 40th person to favorite the story :D**

**Disclaimer:**

**I own only May and Kiba**

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**Chapter 21: No Pain, No Gain**

The cool evening air hit his body hard as Daryl sped down the road on his bike. He had only one thought in his mind – find May. He kicked himself for not leaving when Lori asked him to, he hated the way he and May left things the last time they spoke… No, the way HE left things. He let Sophia die and he wasn't about to let the same happen to May. She was the one who shot Sophia; she had the courage and the strength to do it and he just let her go off looking for Hershel after that. _I am an idiot._

He had just passed a crashed car when he saw headlights coming his way and his heart skipped a beat; he hoped they were all coming back. Soon, though, he realized it was Shane and Lori. He didn't slow down for them – he left just moments after Shane, there was no way they knew anything he didn't. He just kept driving and hoped he'd reach the town and find May was fine and that they just got stuck or something.

Soon, he reached the outskirts of town and saw what the problem was; the town was overrun with walkers. He took his crossbow and started offing them one by one. He would kill them as he went forward and took back his bolts when he'd reach the dead ones to kill the ones still walking. Suddenly, he heard a cry of pain break through the air. He instantly went in the direction of the voice and saw Rick, Glenn and Hershel carrying a man… no, a boy he'd never seen before. _But where's May?_ They were surrounded by walkers and Glenn was fending them off. "Rick, it's Daryl!" he heard Glenn say. Daryl attacked them from behind, killing the dead with lightning speed and soon, he reached the three men.

"Where is she?!" he asked abrasively as soon as he reached them. They seemed pale, frightened and tired, but otherwise unharmed. "His friends, they… they took her, Daryl." Rick replied, leaning against the hood of the car as if he was about to get sick. "What?!" Daryl barked out, the feeling of panic rising in the pit of his stomach. Then, Rick told him about what had happened since they got there.

"We went out the back, thought we could reach the car and get the hell out of here but… I think they shot her in the shoulder and one of the men hit her in the head with that pipe there." Glenn said in a crackling voice dripping with desperation. "They just kept shooting and I couldn't come out of cover and help her. They pulled her in to a car and drove off." his knees gave in and he slumped to the ground, burying his face in his palms.

"You let them take her?! Where'd they go?" Daryl was beside himself with rage. The anonymous guy kept moaning in pain and was seriously getting on his nerves. "Who tha fuck is this?!" he asked, pointing at him. "That's Randal. He was with the group that took her."

With this, Daryl instantly turned to the boy and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Where did they take her?!" he growled at him. The boy said nothing and just kept moaning before he passed out. Daryl let out an animalistic growl and turned to Rick.

"How could ya let this 'appen!? HOW?!" He seemed ready to punch him.

"I didn't want to! We'll get her back…" Rick looked almost as devastated as Daryl felt.

"Yer damn right we'll git 'er back!" He took a deep breath. Desperation was slowly taking him over. "Wake that weasel up." he said, turning to Hershel. "I don't know how. I don't have anything here…" the old man replied desperately, binding the boy's leg to stop the bleeding. He must have pressed harder than he planned because Randal woke up and he screamed again. This time Rick grabbed him and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Now you better listen to me, boy, if you know what's good for you! Can you understand that?" he asked in a calm but poisonous voice. Randal just nodded weakly. "Good. Where did they take her?" The boy just kept sobbing in pain and said nothing. Daryl walked over and pressed his finger against Randal's wound. He screamed out in pain. "WHERE?! IS?! SHE?!"

"St-stop…" Randal cried out, but Daryl just pressed harder. "Okay, okay… just pleas-please stop!" he cried out again and Daryl pulled his hand back. "Last chance… WHERE IS SHE?!"

"We used to take prisoners to a house by the interstate… It's a one and a half hour drive… A yellow house, has the number 43 on it… Please don't kill me!" He was at the verge of tears. Daryl didn't need to know anything else. He turned around and headed back for his bike.

"Daryl, you can't go alone!" Rick said, rushing after him. "O yeah? Try and stop me." the hunter replied, pulling the rest of his bolts out of dead walkers. "I'm coming with you." Rick said and Glenn bolted to his feet in a show of support. "No one's stoppin' ya."

"But wait, we should make a plan first." This pushed Daryl over the edge. He turned around, his face as red as it could get and got in to Rick's face. "Don't you tell me 'bout makin' plans! Y'all now the longer we wait the less chance we have of findin' her alive! So screw y'all, I'm goin'!"

"Rick… we should go with Daryl now." Glenn said, feeling guilty for not being able to help May when they took her. "Daryl, wait up, we're coming with you!" Rick shouted and the hunter stopped. "Y' got five minutes to get ready; then I leave."

*WDWDWDWD*

The first thing may felt when she came to was a dull pain in her head. She tried moving but a shot of pain in her shoulder told her she shouldn't. She slowly opened her eyes and saw she was in a dimly lit room; it seemed like a basement. She was lying on the cold floor, her hands tied behind her back and her legs tied together. The pain in her shoulder started rising slowly; her moving made the wound open and start bleeding. The amount of blood on her clothes told her she already lost a lot of blood. She struggled to sit up, trying to figure out what had happened and how she ended up here. _They must have taken me during the shooting. Shit, are the others dead?! I gotta get out of here…_

The door to the basement opened forcefully and a man walked in. He was tall, much taller than herself and very muscular. His nose looked like it was broken multiple times and he had a steely look that could kill. "Well, well, look who's up." he said with a nasty smile. He walked over to her and grabbed her by her hair, pulling her to a chair in the middle of the room. She didn't give him the satisfaction of showing she was in pain; she gritted her teeth but other than that made no sound. "Now… Your little friends killed Dave and Tony. Now are you gonna tell me where I can find your little friends or are we gonna have a problem? Where's you base?"

"You know… Dave and Tony asked the same question. How did that turn out, again?" she asked with a fake smile plastered across her face. A second later, his fist connected with her face and her head jerked back. She felt the metallic, salty taste of blood in her mouth. She licked her lips and put the smile back on. "I'm shot and you hit me in the head with a metal bar. Do you really think pain will make me talk?"

She knew she was much cockier than she should be, but she always had an issue with authority. She didn't want to show weakness; if they wanted to kill her, they would kill her no matter how she acted and she didn't want to die pleading for her life. "We'll see." the man replied with a sadistic grin. He hit her in the face again. And again. And again. Then he kicked her in the gut, pushing all the air out of her body.

As she gasped for air, struggling to stay conscious, her thoughts found their way to Daryl. _Is he coming for me? Does he even know I'm here?_ She was never the damsel-in-distress type but, against all reason, she found herself hoping he'd come and save her. _I never told him I love him. _This thought almost made her forget that she was being beaten so brutally. She realized she loves Daryl. Another punch hit her across the mouth and she felt her lip start bleeding. _If I die, who will take care of Kiba? _She wondered if Rick, Glenn and Hershel were alright; their deaths would be very hard on many people in their group. They would be very hard on her; that is, if she lived long enough to find out what their fates were.

The burly man grabbed her by the hair and jerked her head back, causing her a lot of pain in many places and making it hard for her to inhale. Still, she said nothing and just let out a wheezy chuckle before she spat blood on his face. "You bitch!" he pushed her back and both her and the chair hit the ground hard. He walked over to her and pulled out a knife.

"See this? Let's see what we can do with this." he said, the sadistic smile never leaving his face. She coughed a bit, spitting out some blood. "Bring it on, dumbfuck."

*WDWDWDWD*

Rick and Hershel fixed Randal's leg up as well as they could, the tied him up and shoved him in the back seat. Glenn sat beside him, making sure he didn't try anything funny when he woke up. Daryl mounted his bike and they took off.

Daryl drove as fast as the bike would allow it. He tried willing it to go faster but knew that's not how things worked. The thought of May being held captive made his stomach do a back-flip. The car was falling behind; they just couldn't keep up with his speed. Still, he didn't slow down as he felt, in his gut, that she was in pain. He knew for sure she was alive, she had to be, but he also knew she was in pain and that it was his duty to get her back. A loud sound came from behind him and he checked his rear view mirror to see that the car had a flat tire. They all pulled over.

"What tha fuck happened?" he asked, walking up to them. Rick just checked the tire. "A nail. We have a spare here. C'mon, we should hurry."

"We don't have time for this shit!" Daryl said angrily. "I'm going, y'all try and catch up."

"We don't know how many of them are there. You're no good to her if you're dead." Glenn said, pulling out the spare tire. "I'm no good to 'er if she's dead either!" Daryl growled back but came over to speed up the tire change. _Fuck, fuck, FUCK!_

*WDWDWDWD*

Half an hour later, May had numerous shallow but very painful cuts down her legs and arms. "Had enough yet?" her torturer asked, scoffing. She struggled to keep her smile on, taking in small, shallow breaths. "Not so cocky anymore, are we? Well, it's time for me to have some real fun." She heard the sound of a belt unbuckling and a zipper being unzipped and she felt cold sweat wash over her wounded, bloody body. _No… please no… _

"Hey, Stan! Get over here, I gotta show you something!" a voice called out from somewhere outside her torture chamber. "Shit…" the man said, zipping up his pants again. He went over to the corner and pulled over a relatively large metal trunk. He opened it and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her off the chair. "I'll be back sweet-cheeks, don't you worry about that." And with that, he shoved her inside the trunk. She struggled the best she could but she was weakened by all the blood loss and pain. Once he packed her in neatly in a fetal position he slammed the lid shut and she heard him secure the lock, making sure she couldn't get out.

The moment she was in, panic took over. She started hyperventilating; there were little things that frightened her, but tight spaces were one of them. She started jerking and screaming, but the only answer she got was silence. She took deep breaths trying to calm herself down when a thought came to her – she had a knife hidden in her right boot. The first thing she had to do was free her hands, which was easier said than done. Panic was still building up in her and she had to use all of her self-control not to start screaming and begging they let her out.

"C'mon May… Suck it up…" she said aloud in a shaky voice. She took another deep breath and started struggling against her restraints.

*WDWDWDWD*

"Are we done?" Daryl asked nervously, walking back to his bike. "Yeah. Let's go." Rick replied getting in the car. It was dawning and they had 20 minutes of driving left before they reached the house. There was a choking feeling in Daryl's throat. As soon as he was on the bike, they were under way.

Half an hour later, they had found the house – the two story, yellow house with the number 43 painted on the door. They parked a little further down the interstate and snuck back to the house. "Ok, we're doing this like this. Glenn and I will go in through the front door, create enough of a distraction for you Daryl to go in through the back door and find her. Hershel, you'll stay in the car with Randal and make sure he doesn't try anything." They all nodded in agreement.

While Rick and Glenn snuck up to the front door, Daryl went around back. He found the back door and waited to hear Rick and Glenn break in. A moment later, a bang told him they were in and he snuck in as well. As soon as he was in, he saw a short, fat guy sharpening a knife sitting at the house stairwell. "Who the…" the man started but the bolt in his eye made him quiet instantly. Daryl pulled the bolt out, looking around for any more potential threats as Glenn and Rick walked up to him from the other room.

"I got one. You find 'er?"

"No… We didn't see anyone." Glenn replied, holding his gun tightly. "Let's search through the house." Rick said and they spread out. Glenn went out back to check the shed; Rick took the ground floor while Daryl went upstairs. He forcefully opened the first door he saw, but the room was empty. It must have been someone's bedroom at some point. He checked the walk-in closet, hoping to maybe find her there, but to no avail. He did pretty much the same thing with every following door he came across but got the same result.

He went back downstairs and something caught his eye – he saw May's bow, quiver and knives thrown in a corner by a door. He tried opening the door but it was locked. He kicked and shoved it until he broke it open and found they led to the basement. He descended down the stairs only to find there was nobody in the room. He saw a lot of blood on the floor, a single chair and a metal crate, but no May. He realized they must have moved her or… _No, she's not dead. _Still, frustration took over and he kicked at the crate angrily. He wasn't expecting what happened next – a small yelp came from inside the crate.

*WDWDWDWD*

May was certain she's been in the crate for hours. She didn't manage to free her hands, her bullet wound hurt to the point it was driving to the verge of insanity. She just lay there limply, waiting for her torturer to come back. She knew what was going to happen; he was going to pull her out and then use her as a blow up doll until he and all his friends were satisfied. Then he was probably going to beat, cut or lock her up again. Thoughts like these plagued her mind making her body start shivering again.

Suddenly, she heard muffled banging sounds coming from somewhere outside the crate. One after the other the bangs just kept coming on and on until a final bang and a creek of the door hinges told her someone was in the room. Was it just a scare tactic or did someone actually come for her? She heard footsteps descending down the stairs and dreaded the moment the lid would open. The footsteps stopped and it was quiet for a moment. Then, suddenly, there was an angry groan before someone kicked the crate, causing it to resonate painfully. A small, involuntary yelp escaped her lips.

Then, the banging begun again, only this time, it was against the crate. She started shaking uncontrollably, afraid to hope it was a rescue party. After a while, someone opened the lid and the light blinded her.

* * *

**That's it for today folks! I'm working on the next chapter as we speak so bare with me. I'm off to work now and you guys enjoy and review :D Peace!**


	22. What I Feel

**Hey my darlings! I'm very sorry i it tookme so long to upload, we were off filming on location and i just couldn't find the time. I hope you'll find the chapter was worth the wait, thoug! Also, browny points for everyone as the last chapter was the one with most reviews so far - who knew i just had to get her abducted and tortured for that to happen :D Anyway, enjoy and review!**

**writergrrrl, MAR76, felicia2235, BellaBloodrayne Backstroker98, thank you all for the reviews, you are AWESOME! :D**

**Maddy120296, i'm realy happy you like it, hopefully, you'll like this chapter as well. Thanks for readig and reviewing :)**

**Dora701, thanks, i'm gld you like it! Also, browny points for playig Borderlands 2, i'm a big gamer and suport everyone else who is! :D**

**Disclaimer:**

**I only own May and Kiba**

* * *

**Chapter 22: What I Feel**

As soon as Daryl heard the scared little yelp come from inside the crate, he realized where May was. He grabbed the chair and smashed it against the floor and then he took one of its legs and started hitting it against the crate lock. After a couple of hits, he smashed the lock and opened the crate.

He wasn't prepared for what he found; May was lying in there in a fetal position, her hands tied behind her back. She was completely covered in blood and at first he couldn't make anything out. She looked around seeming dazed by the sudden invasion of light, one of her eyes half shut from a swelling bruise. His heart felt like it had been stabbed at the sight. He reached his hands in to help her out, but she pulled back. Her eyes were dark and she seemed terrified; she was shaking and he started making out many cuts along her entire body. Her clothes were cut so many times they barely covered anything and he felt his gut churn with anger. Then, finally, he saw signs of recognition in her unusually empty eyes. He reached for her again and, this time, she let him. He untied her hands and legs and took off his vest, wrapping her in it as he took her in his arms. She wrapped her right arm around his shoulder and buried her head in the crook of his neck. "You came for me…" he heard her whisper and felt her body go limp as she passed out.

Daryl panicked and ran for the stairs, heading for Hershel. As soon as they were out he heard a gunshot and he tightened his grip on her protectively. Rick walked out of one of the rooms, putting his gun away. "Got another one… Jesus!" It was the right reaction. Now that they were out in daylight they could see she was severely beaten and covered in cuts and bruises all over. She had a gunshot wound in her left shoulder that opened up and was bleeding lightly, her face was swollen and her hair and what was left of her clothes were caked with blood.

"We gotta git 'er to Hershel!" Daryl said, holding her tightly as if he was afraid he might lose her again if he let go. "Glenn! We found her!" Rick shouted and the Asian boy trotted over to them from the backyard. When he saw the state May was in he froze for a moment, his mouth hanging slightly open, terror evident in his eyes. "Jesus! We have to get her to Hershel right away!"

Moments later, May was in the back seat of the car, held by Glenn, while they drove back to the farm. As soon as they reached the farm, the rest of their group ran up to them. Daryl paid no attention to what was going on; as soon as he parked his bike, he headed for the car and pulled May out, gently taking her in his arms. Kiba ran over to them, whining lightly as he looked at his unconscious pack leader. "Take her to the guest room, I'll be right there." Hershel said and, without sticking around for the questions, Daryl went in to the house. He laid her gently on the bed and Hershel came over with his medical equipment. He looked over her wounds and frowned, taking a pair of forceps. "She's lost a lot of blood, she's slipping away. I'm going to have to take out the bullet and close up the wound immediately."

"Well hurry up, then!" Daryl barked at him, panic washing over him. Hershel gave him a frown and turned to May. Maggie and Patricia joined him and it took them over two hours, but in the end all of her wounds were cleaned, stitched up or bandaged, Maggie even washed most of the blood from her hair and helped Daryl dress her in one of Hershel's white shirts that was way too big on her, but gave her wounds room to breathe. Hershel set up and I.V. drip. She was now just lying in bed, unconscious and breathing short, shallow breaths. Daryl had the chance to see the full extent of her injuries and it made his blood freeze. No part of her was untouched. Her skin was either bruised, scraped or cut. What little of her face wasn't bruised was very pale, and her good eye had a dark shadow around it.

"When's she gonna wake up?" Daryl asked Hershel as he was checking her pupils for a response. "I don't know. She lost a lot of blood, she could be in a coma. We'll just have to wait and see if she wakes up."

"What d'ya mean 'if she wakes up' 'Course she'll wake up." Daryl barked out again, pulling a chair over to the bed and sitting in it. "I honestly hope she will, but you should be prepared for other options as well." Hershel said helplessly. Daryl was angrier that he had ever been in his life. He was so angry it was paralyzing and Hershel must have picked up on that as he soon left the room.

Kiba lay in front of his feet, like he did the last time they were by her bedside and Daryl just sat there, his arms crossed, waiting. He found himself wondering if their torture went beyond beating and cutting her. She was a beautiful woman and they obviously weren't above hurting her. At the mere thought of someone forcing themselves on her, his blood boiled with rage. There was nothing he could do now except wait for her to come to. He leaned back in the chair, prepared to sit there for as long as it took for her to wake up; he didn't want her to wake up and be alone. About two hours later, he saw her eyelids twitch a bit and her eyelashes flutter and he all but jumped over to her. Her eyes opened and she looked around in panic. As soon as she saw him, she grabbed on to him as if looking for protection. "Hey, hey… I'm here. I aing't goin' anywhere."

May opened her eyes and panic came over her for a moment. She saw Daryl and she gripped on to him for safety. "Hey, hey… I'm here. I ain't goin' anywhere." he said gently and she relaxed a bit. She saw in his eyes he was scared out of his mind and she wanted to say something to make him feel better but she just didn't have it in her to think of anything. "I'm sorry…" he muttered out, burying his face in his hands. She placed her tired, bandaged hand on his cheek gently, wanting to convey to him how he had nothing to be sorry about. "I should've come for you earlier…"

"No… It's not your fault. Besides, I'm fine… You saved me." May replied, giving him a weak smile that didn't reach her eyes that were still dark, almost cave-like. He got up and it seemed like he was about to leave. This caused a wave of overwhelming panic to come over her and she quickly grabbed his hand. He gave her a pained look and sat back down. "Are they dead?"

"Yes. We killed 'em both."

"Good." She seemed absent for a moment. Kiba placed his head on the bed, as near as possible to her without touching her, out of fear of hurting her even more. She buried her hand in his fur, grateful she got a chance to do that again. She looked at Daryl again. "And my bow…?"

"I got all yer weapons. Don't worry."

"Well aren't you a regular knight in shining armor." she replied with a slight smile before passing out again. Daryl's body tensed up a bit, but he didn't let out a sound nor did his facial expression change. He sat back in the chair and once again waited for her to wake up.

*WDWDWDWD*

"Hey." May heard Daryl's voice as she slowly opened her eyes. She gazed through the window and saw the sun was setting. The entire room was bathed in warm light and being in a bed with Daryl and Kiba there with her seemed surreal after last night. "Hey." she replied simply with a smile. She wiggled a bit, making room on the bed and gave Daryl and inviting look.

Daryl lay next to her but made sure he was careful not to touch her – he was afraid he might hurt her. So, instead, they just lay to their sides, facing each other, their bodies just inches apart. He wanted to ask her about what they did to her, but he didn't want to bring it up so soon after it happened. "They didn't… didn't rape me. If that's what you're wondering." she said, as if she read his mind. He gently ran his hand through her hair and she leaned in a bit, kissing him lightly. He wanted to wrap his arms around her so badly, but held back. She snuggled a bit closer to him. "You know, I'm fine. You can touch me, I won't melt." She said this with a small, teasing smile and he saw the spark that was missing from her eyes.

Daryl gently wrapped his arm around her waist and she scooted closer to him. This, as every time, made her feel protected, safe. Their faces were so close their lips were almost touching. "Thank you." she whispered and kissed him softly. "I'll always come for ya. Nobody's gonna hurt ya ever again." The look in his eyes told her he meant it, that he was going to make sure she was safe and it made her smile. "Y' should rest." he said, stroking her hair. "I've slept through the entire day…" _And I wasn't sure if I'd get to see you again. _"How'd you find me, anyway?" she asked, suddenly realizing that was very unlikely.

"Those three idiots found one of their guy's. He was hurt or somethin', I think Hershel's fixin' 'im up now."

"He's here?" May felt terror rise in her.

"Yeah…" Daryl said, letting out a derisive snort. "Y'll have to ask Rick about that."

"Well that's shit." she said flatly, not entirely sure how to feel about this. Her stomach grumbled and she noticed she was fairly hungry. Daryl must have heard it too. "Y' hungry?"

"Like a wolf." she replied with a wide smile, batting her eyelashes at him. "I'll go git ya some food." Daryl said and she pulled him in to a kiss. He was at the door when the pain in her… well, her general face area reminded her of something. "Oi, Dixon! Will you do me one more and get my backpack?" she asked with a shit eating grin plastered over her face. "Don't push it, ranger-girl." he replied, leaving the room and, even though she didn't see it, she knew he smiled. "Oh, come on! Dixon!" she yelled after him in fake protest.

Half an hour later, they'd both finished eating and she grabbed her backpack and started rummaging through it. Daryl watched her amusedly as her cheeks got redder and redder as she was getting frustrated by not finding what she was looking for. Finally, a smile spread across her face and she pulled out a small, round, white plastic box. "Arnika Salbe!" she said proudly, lightly lifting the box. He gave her a quizzical look. "It's an ointment; it's German. I wasn't sure if I brought any with me, but look… three boxes!" He still didn't seem satisfied with the answer. "It helps with bruises, swelling and such. This one time we were looking for a lost hiker in the woods and we found him stuck in the bottom of a steep cave – he fell in by accident. My partner, Jake, shimmied me down to secure the man so we could pull him out, and, when he Jake started pulling him out the man panicked and started wiggling around causing the rope to give in. When he fell, he crashed in to me and I hit a wall face-first, cut my lip open, scraped half my cheek… It wasn't pretty. When we reached the ranger station, Jake gave me this little baby right here and it was all gone in less than five days." She opened the box and started rubbing the cream gently on to the swelling and bruises on her face.

"So you coulda' given it to Andrea when you hit 'er?" he asked, a smirk crouching in the corner of his lip. "I could have, yes…" she replied giving him a naughty smile. He scoffed, shaking his head. She had now moved on to her arms and, as she pulled up the sleeves he, once again, saw all the damage done to her body. "You know, making that face won't make it heal faster." she said, reaching for her backpack. She pulled out another box off the cream, a bigger one, and handed it to him. "C'mon, you can help me with my back." she said, smiling. He raised an eyebrow, but took the cream, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. She unbuttoned a couple of the shirt's buttons and let it fall down, exposing her bare back. It wasn't as cut as the rest of her, but it had many bruises, some of them swollen. "When y' git in trouble, you do it all the way, don't ya?" he asked, pushing his angry thoughts away. He started applying the ointment gently. "Oh, says the man who got shot in the head!" she laughed out.

*WDWDWDWD*

"Where d'ya think yer goin'?" Daryl asked her, seeing her preparing her weapons. The day after they found her, May went back to Daryl's and hers tent and Daryl, Rick, Maggie, Glenn and Lorry did everything they could to keep her there, preferably lying so she would rest. "I'm am bored out of my mind. I need to go in to the woods right now or I swear, I'll go bat-shit crazy." she replied, continuing her packing. Daryl was about to argue with her but she cut him off. "Look, I'm fine. Really, I am. I just can't sit around anymore, I'm going stir-crazy . You of all people should know what that feels like."

He looked at her and was pissed to find that he did know how she felt. Also, she did look much better; her miracle ointment really was all she said it would be. All of the bruising was gone and so were most of the cuts. The look in her eyes told him she was going even if it meant she had to fight for it. "Fine, but I'm comin' with ya." Her eyes lit up and her lips pulled in to a wide smile. "Even better!"

An hour later, they were deep in the Georgian woods, hunting. With every breath of fresh air, May felt her body and spirit heal even more. She still couldn't use her bow on account of her shoulder, but it didn't matter so long as she was surrounded by nature. Daryl caught a heft amount of squirrel and Kiba came out of the bushes carrying a rabbit in his jaws twice already meaning they were going to have a good dinner tonight. She felt Daryl's eyes on her and turned around to give him a snarky comment when she saw a walker tumbling behind him. Her eyes widened and she reached for her knife, throwing it at the corpse. It lodged in the creatures left eye and he it slumped down to the ground. Daryl glanced at the pile of dead behind him, poking it with his foot. "When tha hell d'they get so quiet?" he asked, pulling her knife out and stabbing it in the ground to clean it. "Dunno, but I don't like it." May replied, walking over to him. Kiba ran out of the bushes and gave the walker a mildly interested look. "Seems we go back and forth with saving each other, Dixon." she added giving him a mischievous smile. He scoffed but said nothing.

It was around noon and it was getting really hot when they came across the creek Daryl once fell in. The water here seemed much deeper, though. He noticed May stopped and looked at her, wandering what she was up to. She gave him a small, seductive smile and started taking her clothes off, piece by piece until she was completely naked. He admired her long, lean legs, remembering how it felt when they wrapped around him. As she walked up to him slowly, her hips swayed lightly from side to side, her movement as light and elegant as that of a wild cat. His hand instinctively slid around her slim waist, pulling her a bit closer. "C'mon." she whispered in his ear, slipped from his arms and jumped in the water. For a moment, she was under the surface and he couldn't see her but when she emerged, her hair wet and sleeked back, he couldn't help but think she looked like a nymph.

"What are you waiting for, Dixon, a written invitation?" May called out, splashing some water in his direction. The cool water felt good against her skin and she hadn't had a chance to swim in a long time so she felt as happy as ever. Daryl dropped his crossbow and started stripping without a word. She felt a tingle in her stomach as she observed his lean, muscular figure. They hadn't gotten a chance to be alone like this since that morning before he got hurt and the anticipation of his touch sent shivers down her spine. She dived under the surface, cooling her head and, when she came back out for air she found him by her side. He wrapped his arms around her waist and crashed their lips together. In spite of the cool water, she was certain his touch left scorch marks on her skin. Her arms slid around his neck and she kissed him back greedily, as if trying to make up for lost time. She felt him pull her to the edge of the water and lay her on her back.

Her legs wrapped around him once more as soon as he laid her in the shallow water. She pulled him closer, inviting him in and as soon as he obliged she let out a lustful gasp. Their bodies moved in unison and he felt her nails scrape down his back. Suddenly, between their gasps and moans, she pushed him and rolled them over. She sat up, mounting him and took charge; she swayed her hips in circles and that, combined with her perfect, lean, body and her wet, glistening skin drove him insane. He let out a primal growl and grabbed her ass, moving her body back on forth faster and faster.

His every move brought her closer to her climax and when his hands got a firm grip on her ass she felt sweet release and moaned in pleasure. He lifted her up and took her to a boulder rock nearby, bending her over it. The control he had over her now made her body shiver with excitement. With his every thrust she felt the sharp rock dig in to her skin but it made it all the more exciting. His hand slid up her back and stopped when he had a hold on her shoulder. She propped herself up, pressing her back to his chest and started swaying her hips in tempo with his. His left hand wrapped around her waist tightly, making sure she couldn't leave even if she wanted to and his right one found its way to her bare breast. She moaned in pleasure, helpless to do anything else – he had full control and she was enjoying it. She took his right hand in hers and brought it to her lips, taking his middle finger in her mouth and sucking on it seductively. This made his thrusts even more forceful and their movement sped up. Soon, she felt electricity spread through her body again in mind-numbingly strong waves. They reached the peak in unison, both of them moaning and growling loudly.

Daryl slumped to the ground, pulling May down with him and in to a hug. He kissed her and she gave him one of her brightest smiles, her eyes warmer and more golden than they'd ever been before. They both looked around and saw Kiba resting in the shade of a tree, completely uninterested in them and she let out a small scoff. "And to think you wanted to make me stay at the farm." He rolled his eyes but a smile crept on to his lips none the less. He brushed a finger against her lips lightly. "Don't ya get to cocky." he said, lightly kissing her. "Shut up, you know you like it." She rested her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the sun on her skin cooled by the water. Her thoughts wandered to the day she was taken, specifically to a realization she had while there. _I love him. _Still, she decided not to say anything, not wanting to scare him away. The reality was, they didn't know each other for that long and, if it wasn't for the whole apocalypse thing, saying something that serious this early would be relationship suicide. Also, she couldn't be sure he felt the same way and she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out f he did.

Daryl knew that look on her face; she was lost in thought. Her fingers absently traced over his chest, drawing an invisible picture. The fear he felt when he thought he wasn't going to see her again was still etched in to his mind and he subconsciously tightened his arm around her. May wasn't the first woman he'd been with but she was definitely the first one special to him and the first one who made him feel like he was worth something. She was beautiful, skillful, smart, witty and recklessly brave – she was perfect. He didn't know how to put that to words so he just took her in with his eyes. His eyes trailed down her neck and collarbone and fell on the bullet wound. "How's yer shoulder?"

"It's fine, I told you I heal quickly. Still hurts a bit but I guess that's normal. Hershel's gonna kill me for getting the wound wet, though." She said the last part trying to hold back laughter at the thought of an angry Hershel. He shook his head slightly in fake exasperation. "C'mon." she said, getting up after she kissed him sweetly. "We should get back before the others get worried. Also, now that we've established that I can, in fact, leave the tent and not disintegrate, I need to talk to some people."

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**That's it for now :) Hopefully, i'll get a chance to write and upload another chapter real soon, but until then, enjoy this one and review :)**


	23. Apology

Hey, guys! I'm so, so, so, so, so, SO sorry i haven't uploaded in such a long time. The thing is, my final exams have started and i have a shitload of shooting and studying to do all the while working to make money to pay the bills. My computer is busted and i haven't payed my internet bill in over two months so they cut me off :/

I promise i'll do my best to upload at least two chapters by the end of the month and i apologize for not putting this up sooner! Much love to all of you and i promise to see you very soon with new chapters :)

Also, BellaBloodrayne, i haven't abandoned reading your wonderful fiction; i just don't have anything to read it from right now.

Thanks for understanding guys

xxx

Lionheart Sid


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